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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-02-19 Water and Sewer Advisory Committee MinutesR CEIM) T CLERK WATER & SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES, February 19, 1997 I a "s T97 A meeting of the Water & Sewer Advisory Committee was held at 7:45 P.M. on Wednesday, February 19, 1997 in the Berger Room, Reading Town Hall, 16 Lowell St., Reading, MA. In attendance were Chairman Gail Wood, Committee Member Richard Moore, and DPW Director, Ted McIntire, DPW Supervisor of Business Services, David Lee and Supervisor of Water Treatment, Peter Tassi. Drinking Water Week Gail Wood and Peter Tassi attended a recent Water Supply Protection Task Force meeting and the group felt the Town should develop a program this year to make residents aware of the importance of a clean plentiful supply. Elizabeth Kelly, Water Treatment Operator, prepared an outline of events, contests and demonstrations with water related items that maybe incorporated into a "Water Fest". The Committee felt that the suggestions offered by Beth were-excellent. DPW Staff will put a program together identifying options with recommendations for either a one day, or weekly events. A meeting will be scheduled with Peter Tassi, Beth Kelly, Gail Wood and Ted McIntire to develop a program. The Department will also send an employee to education training program at the New England Water Works training center in Milford, MA. FY98 Water Rates David Lee present a "Preliminary Rate Calculation" package for the projected FY90 rates. He recommended a reserve/emergency fund at $200,274.00. The Department is anticipating a minimal amount of unexpended monies from the FY97 Budget. The projected increase for water from $2.85 per one hundred cubic feet in FY97 to $3.36 per one hundred cubic feet in FY98 is mainly due to unavailable funds in the reserve/emergency fund. Of the fifty one cent increase in the rate, forty seven cents is due to a reduction in available transfers from other revenues such as reserve/emergency fund. The remaining four cents is due to an increase in the operating budget. It was moved by Richard Moore, seconded by Gail Wood to set the water rate at $3.40 per one hundred cubic feet effective on the August 1, 1997 billing with a minimum bill of $17.00. The motion was defeated by a vote of 0-2-0. The committee discussed the capital plan and the feasibility of defering some projects to ease the impact on water rates. It was moved by Richard Moore, that the following projects be removed from the capital plan in FY98: Water supply protection ($153,000), Wakefield Street water main construction ($40,000) and that the FY98 water rate be set at $3.11 per one hundred cubic feet effective on the August 1, 1997 billing and that the minimum bill be $15.55. The motion was seconded by Gail Wood, and approved by a vote of 2-0-0. FY98 Sewer Rates David Lee reviewed the information prepared in the "Preliminary Rate Calculation" package which recommended a rate of $5.87 per one hundred cubic feet for FY98. The reserve/emergency fund presently is overdrawn by $7255.00 due to a double transfer at the November 1996 Town Meeting related to sewer main construction in Longwood Road and Elliott Street. Staff is reviewing the FY97 budget and funding status and will need to transfer monies to the salary account due to excessive overtime generated during the October 20, 1996 rains. The plan is to reverse Town Meeting action on one of the transfers and put approximately $200,000 back into the reservelemergency fund. The rate increase from $3.97 per one hundred cubic feet in FY97 to $5.87 per one hundred cubic feet in FY98 is an increase of $1.90 per one hundred cubic feet. Forty seven cents of this increase is due to the MWRA assessment increase and $1.35 is due the reduction in other revenues including the reservelemergency fund. It was moved by Richard Moore to set the sewer rate for FY98 $5.87 per one hundred cubic feet effective on the August 1, 1997 billing and that the minimum bill be $29.35. The motion was seconded by Gail Wood, and defeated by a vote of 0-2-0. It was moved by Richard Moore that the Mill Street/Short Street sewer construction project in the amount of $275,300 be postponed and removed from the capital program in FY98 and that the rate be set at $5.40 per one hundred cubic feet effective on the August 1, 1997 billing and that the minimum bill be $27.00. The motion was seconded by Gail Wood. The committee felt that this project should be deferred in FY98 in order to reduce the projected rate. The motion was approved by a vote of 2-0-0. Water Ouality Ted McIntire reviewed the status of complaints regarding the water quality issues and indicated that the Town was in the process of hiring a consultant to review the existing water quality test results and to recommend and institute a program of additional testing and review. It was moved by Richard Moore, seconded by Gail Wood and approved by a vote of 2-0-0 to adjourn the meeting at 10:42 P.M.