The council discussed the increase at it’s Tuesday night meeting. A committee was formed to look into the issue and come back with suggestions at the next scheduled meeting on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.
The committee consists of councilmen Russell Jones and Doug Nash, city clerk Bob Riggs and supervisor for water/sewer receivables Teresa Galiszewski.
Mayor Gene Zick said he doesn’t think all of the 44 cent increase can be absorbed and that some will have to be passed on.
One of the ideas councilman Lanny McPherson mentioned at a previous meeting included putting in a 1 to a 1.5 percent increase into an ordinance that would come back to the council for approval each year. According to McPherson, this would help spread out the costs of increases that may come in the future.
McPherson, who serves on the LTRWC board which approves the increases, said the board is looking into ways to save money. The increase was passed along by the association after being recommended strongly by the bond holders. According to LTRWC director Kyle Kenner, the water supplier is not selling enough water to meet their financial commitments.
There are 12 members of the association who purchase water from LTRWC, they are Adairville, Auburn, Lewisburg, Russellville, East Logan, South Logan, North Logan, Trenton, Elkton, Todd County, Oak Grove and Guthrie.
LTRWC celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2008. The association gets it water from the Cumberland River. It has been said since it’s inception that if the supplier could gain additional customers then rates would go down; unfortunately, that initiative has not come to fruition and costs continue to rise.
Zick had said he didn’t know how the city or the customers would pay the increase with the economy the way it was. “The city is just now getting back on its feet from financial problems and now we are being hit with this increase,” said Zick.
If people will think back to 1998...the fines that were levied on the city had NOTHING to do with the consumer. It was because someone didn't MAINTAIN the facility. They were FINES. But however the city was compelled to pass it on to us the consumers. I say NO to an increase.