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Covington city council approves several sustainability initiatives
cov city council video
Guinevere Grant
Published: Feb 25, 2025, 4:15 PM

COVINGTON, Ga. – The Covington city council unanimously approved a joint resolution with Newton County and the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority that will adhere to the OneWater Resources Analysis, providing clean and safe drinking water and efficiently treating wastewater. 

Through the OneWater Resources Analysis that analyzes a baseline for water treatment planning, this partnership will provide a system-wide evaluation of water and wastewater system capacities. It will also cater to demands and supply recommendations for future upgrades.

 “It sets a tone for how we as a community are going to go after, manage and monitor our water resources in the future so that we can maintain that resource,” said Mike Jewell, the city of Covington’s natural gas director. 

Newton County continues to have rapid growth in both residential and commercial areas, which places new demands for the water system. The affiliation between the three largest Newton County Water Systems will prepare the county for expansion and upgrades in accordance with growth rates, such as infrastructure design and population projects.

Mayor Fleeta Baggett enthusiastically expressed her excitement for the partnership, noting that the board often has to spend a lot of time figuring out gas, electricity and water for industries and the community. 

“I can’t tell y’all how important this is,” Baggett said. “We can drill for gas, we can make electricity but water… that’s it. This is so important and this will set us up for the next 50 years.” 

After further discussion, Council Member Jared Rutberg made the motion to approve the joint resolution and Council Member Kim Johnson seconded the motion. The board unanimously approved. 

Also in the meeting was the unanimous approval for the Gas Authority of Georgia to purchase RNG for the city. This sustainable initiative allows gas authorities to negotiate and purchase gas through Atlanta gas providers, giving the city additional savings to use. 

This is beneficial to many community workers such as truck drivers and the school bus system who can use tax credits for benefits. 

“I’ve learned a lot about gas this year, and I’m telling you we’re in good hands,” Baggett said. 

Council Member Anthony Henderson made the motion to approve the purchase and Council Member Travis Moore seconded the motion, followed by unanimous approval from the board.
Covington Fire Department receives accrediation
CFD accrediation
(L-R) Battalion Chief James Cox, Accreditation Program Coordinator April Draper, Operations Chief Donnie Tudor, Fire Chief Joe Doss, CFAI Commission, Training Chief Danny Garner, Captain Stephen Middlebrooks, Covington City Manager Tres Thomas. - photo by Courtesy of the city of Covington
Staff Report
Published: Apr 9, 2025, 2:06 PM

The Covington Fire Department (CFD) received its fifth accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International at the Center for Public Safety Excellence Conference. 

The CFD is one of only 17 agencies accredited in the state of Georgia. Accreditation is a comprehensive assessment and evaluation model for fire and emergency service organizations, and April Draper, the CFD’s accreditation program coordinator, spends countless hours preparing for the assessments based on guidelines provided by the CFA. 

“Thank you to all of the members of our CFD family for their hard work and dedication to compliance and keeping our community safe,” a post from the city of Covington’s Facebook page read.