Last month, the Winslow City Council voted to table a discussion on raising wastewater user rates. The action, according to Winslow City Manager, Steve Pauken caused the city to have to resubmit an application for a loan in the amount of $5.1 million. The loan facilitated by the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA), was previously awarded to the city with a 20-year term and a forgiveness amount of $900,000.
Pauken said, “We have asked them to reapprove our request for the same amount of dollars on a 30-year amortization schedule, which of course stretches out the annual payments but it brings them down about $50,000 a year. That allows us to readjust for the wastewater rates.
“The other thing that we did, based on input from the council is not to request a water rate increase for the current year due to the fact that some of the folks with new meters have been seeing somewhat larger bills than before. So, we are going to back away from that and see how the revenues go for the remainder of the six or eight months of the fiscal year and see if that in fact, does have a serious difference in the revenue.
“Because we have done that, the WIFA board has agreed to consider the revised request for a loan. They would like to see the council remove the wastewater increase from the table.”
The council did remove the item from the table and approved a resolution adopting a notice of intent to increase wastewater user charges and set a public hearing on the proposed increase. The rates have not been increased at this juncture, as the law clearly defines the process of increasing rates.
City of Winslow Finance Director Elias Jouen said, “This does not obligate the council to anything other than just following the law in posting the notice of intent.”
Mayor Tom McCauley said, “In a city that is our age, we have infrastructure that needs to be addressed, and so that is why we are after this WIFA loan. Right now, we only have one main sewer line that goes beneath I-40 and to the treatment plant. We need to put in a reciprocating line.” The update to the lines as well as an update to the ultraviolet treatment system for wastewater depend on the $5.1 million loan.
“Also,” McCauley continued, “just south of the treatment plant a sinkhole just opened up and that needs to be addressed.” Pauken added, “A city worker was driving down a city path and discovered a sink hole. The hole is about 12 feet deep and there are several holes in the general vicinity. It has been cordoned off to prevent people from falling in. The source of that issue is the single line. This is an indication that there is a breach in that line. We know it hasn’t collapsed but it has undermined the soil in the area.”
The public hearing, and consideration for a new rate for wastewater usage is set for Dec. 11. It will be posted on the agenda for that regularly scheduled meeting.
