ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) —Community leaders and elected officials addressed how to build a better way of life when bills keep going up.

At an affordability forum hosted by Black to the Future Action Fund, the conversation centered on what’s driving costs for families across South Georgia housing prices, power bills and the rapid growth of data centers.

Albany City Commissioner Diana Brown spoke about utility costs in Albany.

“What can you call affordable when you have utilities that outweighs your wages, because at the end of the day, what we got right here along in Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia, our utility is skyrocketing.”

Brown said officials need to budget properly and prioritize taxpayers.

“We don’t have to be in the surplus, we need to know how to budget right and not overspend taxpayer dollars, and we learn to put the people first, the taxpayer first, in everything that we do. We also need you all in the spaces as well, to sit around the table with them, to hear from you all.”

Georgia Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard talked about steps communities can take to protect neighborhoods like stronger local rules, setbacks and accountability so growth doesn’t come with higher costs and more pollution for residents.

“Educating county commissioners about what they need to have in terms of a local ordinance so that there are proper setbacks. We’re not having backup generators that are spewing those fossil fuel emissions into the community. That’s a big deal in Memphis, for example. And basically, make that hurdle higher. That if they want to come into the community, they’ve got to play by their rules, not shift costs and emission onto other folks and invest in the community. And then if they decide to come into the community, at least we’re getting something out of it.”

Organizers said the goal is to move past complaints and toward solutions making sure families have a voice in decisions that affect their wallets, their health and the future of their communities.

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