Hearing set for Redkey water rate hike (04/20/07)

REDKEY - Town council members are proceeding with plans to raise water rates 50 percent here, as they apply for grants to help pay for major improvements to the water utility.

Next step in the process will be a public hearing on the water rate hike proposal at the next regular town council meeting at 6 p.m. May 17 in Redkey Town Hall.

The rate increase proposal calls for an increase in a minimum water bill from $7.72 a month to $11.58 a month. A customer, using 4,000 gallons of water a month, will see his or her bill increase from $14.50 to $21.75 a month. This amount will be separate from the wastewater treatment charge which is not being increased, Redkey clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby explained.

Because Redkey does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the town council will have the authority to approve the rate increase, following the conclusion of the public hearing.

Also at Thursday night's meeting, town council president Doug Stanley noted the previous town council had decided to scale back improvements in the water utility.

Originally, the town's consulting engineers recommended replacing the water treatment plant. But the previous council scaled that back to just construction of a new 200,000-gallon water storage tank and replacement of selected water mains.

However, Stanley said Thursday that following his review of the situation and personal inspection of the present water plant, he felt plans to construct a new water plant should once again be included in the overall grant requests.

This will substantially increase costs but is definitely needed, Stanley said. Utility department employee Violet Erlenbush, present at Thursday's meeting, readily agreed. "It's worn out," she said of the current plant.

Council members unanimously agreed to add the water plant replacement proposal back into the total grant request package.

One requirement of such a grant may be yet another increase in Redkey's water rates.

In other business at Thursday night's meeting council members:

•Agreed to establish a Redkey Plan Commission as a preliminary step to adopting a zoning ordinance for the town. Stanley said that any resident interested in serving on the plan commission could contact him, the clerk-treasurer, or any town council member.

•Received the March 31 financial report from Kirby, showing an overall balance of $282,000 in town funds.

•Heard a report from Kirby, calling for more updates in computer hardware and software to keep up with water billing, payroll and budgeting demands. Stanley pointed out that when Kirby took over as clerk-treasurer a few years ago, she inherited an old Commodore computer system which was in place during Stanley's previous term on the town council in the 1980s.

•Continued with their review and consolidation of personnel policies, voting to grant a $200 per year clothing allowance to town utility workers Erlenbush and Greg McIlwain, defining a full-time police officer's work-week as seven rather than five days for vacation purposes, and granting the town's utility workers an extra five-day week of vacation time per year because they are required to perform duties on holidays.

Council members directed Kirby, with help from Stanley and town attorney John Brooke's office, to prepare a revised personnel ordinance proposal for further discussion and action at a later council meeting.

•Renewed the town's annual contract with Albany water department superintendent Michelle St. John who provides water department supervisory services for the Redkey department. St. John has state certificates qualifying her as a certified water plant operator. She receives $416 a month for her services.

•Approved a one-year extension in the town's property and liability insurance coverage policy through Barnum-Brown Insurance Inc., Dunkirk. Bob Brown explained that the total insurance coverage package reflects a lower annual premium price of $28,885, compared to $30,500 last year.

•Agreed to allow the Redkey Junior League to erect no-smoking signs in certain sections of Redkey Park near the ball diamonds and concession stands. Junior League representative Donnie James Jr. said this will benefit some of the youngsters who have allergies and other health concerns.

•Complimented McIlwain for arranging to have inmates from the Jay County Jail paint equipment and do some repairs at Redkey Park in preparation for the upcoming summer season. McIlwain also supervised much of the work. He said the inmates are scheduled to return in a few weeks to do more work.

•Announced that this year's Independence Day fireworks celebration at Redkey Park would be scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30. July 4th is on a Wednesday this year.[[In-content Ad]]