The City of Sanford may soon expand its water system to include Siler City and Chatham County, a strategic partnership that would further strengthen our utility system and add financial flexibility.
Sanford’s expansive infrastructure and access to resources have established it as the ideal water service provider for the region. With the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) site and Wolfspeed on the horizon, Siler City and Chatham County have entered into talks with Sanford to merge utilities.
A merged system offers multiple advantages for Sanford, including increased access points for raw water, reduced infrastructure costs borne by Sanford residents, and better leverage for future grant funding.
As a term of the merger, Chatham County would share 20 percent of the net property tax revenue from customers connected to the consolidated utility system. The agreement applies to 3,886 contiguous acres near Siler City that contain the CAM site and will stand for the next 50 years.
All revenue generated by the water system must be spent on the water system. However, the revenue generated through the potential CAM site agreement could be used to pay for any of Sanford’s needs, from street improvements to public safety.
“This deal would be incredibly important for Sanford residents,” Mayor Salmon says. “Flexibility in how we allocate this additional revenue allows us to offset some of the costs of meeting the City’s needs, including making the investments required to remain competitive as our state grows.”
“Our goal is to ensure our community thrives,” Salmon says. “Through this innovative agreement, Sanford can benefit from the development and progress happening throughout the region.”
Should Sanford execute merger agreements with Siler City and Chatham County, all assets would be transferred to Sanford on July 1, 2025. All infrastructure, meters, software, billing and accounts, customer service, and other systems will be integrated no later than that date.
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