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HIGH POINT — After two months and more than a dozen drafts, it's unanimous.

The City Council voted Tuesday to sign an agreement with the Piedmont Triad Water Authority to finance a new water treatment plant at the Randleman Reservoir.

"This was the 15th draft of the agreement," Councilman Latimer Alexander said. "So we're glad to finally approve it."

Archdale, Greensboro, Jamestown, Randleman and Randolph County all have signed the agreement. High Point was the only municipality to hold out, going through numerous drafts with the authority to iron out what the council felt was vague language and to answer questions about how much the project would really cost.

As this summer's drought lingered, pressure mounted for High Point to sign the agreement quickly, getting the ball rolling on the water treatment plant as quickly as possible.

City Manager Strib Boynton said he knows he's been criticized for holding up the process, but feels holding out was the right thing to do.

"Oh, I've caught hell from a lot of people over it, but that doesn't bother me," Boynton said. "This was a 50-year business contract. We've invested millions into this, and my job is to look after the best interests of the citizens of High Point."

Boynton and council members said the agreement passed because the water authority agreed to a few key changes, including:

* Restoring High Point's water allowance from 1 million gallons a day back to 2.28 million gallons.

* Including language that makes it clear municipalities will pay into future investments by the authority according to how much it will benefit them.

*Writing in a provision that says no assets financed by the agreement can be sold, assigned or disposed of when the 50-year agreement ends without four of the six municipalities signing off.

"Originally, the language just said all rights would cease in 50 years," Boynton said. "Why would anyone who had invested millions in something ever sign a document that said their rights would cease after 50 years?"

Mayor Becky Smothers said she's glad an agreement could be reached and looks forward to the next step in the process.

"The other municipalities will have to agree to this version of the agreement, but we don't think that's going to be any problem," Smothers said. "We think the plans are already in Raleigh now, where they'll need to be approved before anything else happens."

From there, Smothers said, a financial feasibility study will be made, bond documents put together, bonds issued, a bidding process begun and then, finally, construction.

"This agreement was just an early part of the process to get the ball rolling," Smothers said. "But we believe it will get done now."

Smothers said High Point will continue to help the city of Randleman, which has been hit hard by the recent drought. High Point has, so far, approved the sale of 900,000 gallons of water to Randleman.

The City Council said Tuesday it will continue to sell water until the new plant is complete or 2027, whichever comes first.

Contact Joe Killian at 883-4422, Ext. 228, or jkillian@news-record.com