DALTON, Ga. — Dalton Utilities’ OptiLink cable subscribers who have not switched to the utility’s VidLink service will see an increase in their monthly bills as a part of the 2019 budget approved 3-0 by the utility’s board on Monday.

The increase will be $16 per month for OptiLink’s “legacy” customers. CEO Tom Bundros said last month the “TV business” is “losing close to $2 million” a year and related the losses to an increase in fees required to carry content from providers.

The 2019 budget projects revenue of $224 million, up from a projected $210.7 million this year. Bundros said at the board’s October meeting that the driving force of that revenue increase is a “new industrial customer” that is “not remotely related to floorcovering.” The identity of the customer has not been released.

Bundros said at the October meeting that the new customer will use about 35 megawatts of power, which is the equivalent of 35 million watts of power.

Along with the new business coming to Whitfield County is a $2.95 million upgrade to the Loopers Farm-Oostanaula power line that runs adjacent to Engineered Floors off of Enterprise Drive in the southern part of the county. Chief Energy Services Officer John Thomas said the new high voltage substation will carry the additional load of the new business as well as service surrounding businesses in the area. 

The approved budget forecasts $9.8 million more in electricity revenue in the coming year compared to this year. The budget also calls for a 3.5 percent rate increase for water customers. For a residential water customer inside the city limits using an average of 7,500 gallons of water a month, that increase will be 46 cents per month. Similar customers outside the city limits will see a rise of 66 cents per month. 

The water rate increase is slated to help pay off up to $75 million in bonds the City Council voted to allow the utility to issue last year to pay for improvements and maintenance to the water system.