The Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC) is a non-profit electrical cooperative that transmits electricity from power suppliers to thirty-eight customer owned electrical membership cooperatives (EMCs) that then distribute electrical power to consumers. One of the EMCs supplied by the GTC is the Canoochee EMC, which serves part of western Chatham County. GTC is acquiring property to develop a new electrical sub-station in the New Hampstead project to supply electricity to the Canoochee EMC for distribution to new homes, schools, and other facilities developing in the area. GTC has requested easements across City properties (a well site and a future public safety site) to facilitate access to the new electrical sub-station. The City has negotiated a real property exchange with GTC to provide the easements in exchange for additional lands. Specifically, the City would trade approximately one-half acre of easements for one-half acre of fee title to additional lands adjoining the public safety site. Appraisals have been performed, and the market value of the easements to be granted by the City is reported at approximately $24,000 while the market value of the fee title of land to be granted to the City is reported at approximately $30,000. State Law provides the City can exchange real property for real property so long as the value of the property granted to the City is greater than or equal to the value of the property granted to others by the City. The GTC will pay all associated transaction costs.

Recommend approval to trade property with the GTC to facilitate access to the new electrical sub-station and authorization for the City Manager to execute associated closing documents.

Approval