Sewer tap-in OK'd by city on city terms

An agreement between Portland and the Jay County Regional Sewer District has been reached and approved by city officials.
After some friction between the city and the sewer district about tap-in fees, the district has agreed to the city’s terms. Each of the more than 30 homes in the district will have to pay a $525 tap-in fee, and the three commercial properties will each pay a $550 tap-in fee.
Portland Board of Works members voted Thursday morning to approve the water pollution control agreement, which will allow the sewer district to send sewage from the line it’s installing in the Foxfire Drive and Ind. 67 area southwest of Portland to the city’s treatment plant. Sewer district officials had argued that it should only have to pay one industrial connection fee. All of the houses will be connected to one meter and district officials will collect monthly fees then pay the city.
The sewer district will be responsible for maintenance of the line, but the city will have access to it for routine inspections.
In other business Thursday, board members voted to install a new system to track residential water usage in the city, thus eliminating the need for an employee to read water meters.
The system will cost a total of $486,000 and will be installed over a period of two years. The initial set up cost is $128,055. The system, which will be purchased from Sensus Metering, will have a data-collecting unit on either the water tower near Tyson Foods or the one at the water department. Transmitters will be installed in the water meter pits at each residence. The transmitters will then send data to the collectors and the information will go to a computer at the city utility office in city hall.
The initial start up will include transmitters for 200 customers, the collector and computer software. The system will allow city employees to track water usage hour-by-hour. The software will create alerts for properties using more water than normal, and will print out reports as often as desired.
“I think it’s a total win-win situation,” said board member Bob McCreery.
Currently, city water meter reader Bill Fields uses a meter-reading gun to determine water usage and the data is put into a computer. The city has about 2,800 meters. Once the new system is installed, Fields will no longer be needed.
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier said city officials have been discussing the new system for several months. The project is one of the factors in the expected sewer rate increase. Residential sewer bills are based on the amount of water used. The new system has a 20-year warranty.
Also Thursday, board members:
•Voted to hire Jay County resident David Shepherd, 32, to work full time for the Portland Police Department.
Caleb Lutes left the police department in December to work for the Jay County Sheriff’s Office. Shepherd has worked as a road trooper for the Indiana State Police for the last three-and-a-half years. He is a graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and Indiana University East. He will begin officially working for the department in late January or early February after physical and psychological exams.
•Approved a pay request for Bruns Building and Development for the Steen Addition storm and sanitary sewer project.
The company will be paid $44,603.84 by the city. The city will be reimbursed 62 percent of the cost by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, which awarded the city a $600,000 grant for the project.
•Learned that two sheds along Pittsburg Avenue will have to be torn down and replaced as part of the Steen Addition project.
David Ayala of R.W. Armstrong said the sheds are in the city’s easement and are on top of a sewer line. The structures must be razed and the city will have to replace the wooden and metal sheds and build them outside of the city’s easement. A change order for these sheds likely will go before the board of works after the sheds are replaced, he said.
•Approved a one-year contract with city consultant Kristi Sturtz and her employees.
Sturtz Public Management Group will be paid up to $30,000 for consulting services. Sturtz will be paid $90 per hour, her planner will be paid $60 per hour and her assistant planner will be paid $30 per hour.
•Approved a leak adjustment request for Eric Parker, 902 E. Walnut St.
The leak occurred between the meter and the house. The sewer portion of the water/sewer bill will be adjusted down to a three-month average prior to the leak.[[In-content Ad]]