Water changes on the way for Dunkirk

DUNKIRK — Even more changes are coming for the city’s water department.

After informally agreeing to a water rate increase on July 22, Dunkirk City Council on Monday approved the first phase of purchasing new water meters and discussed various ordinance changes.

Council member Jesse Bivens, who oversees the water department, explained that the current water meters are about a dozen years old and have been failing. The water department has been replacing four to five per month because of malfunctions, he said.

He proposed purchasing new water meters and presented two quotes for the devices, one from Kamstrup, a Danish company with a distribution location in Indianapolis, for $426,843 and another from Utility Supply Company of Indianapolis for $341,722. Though Utility Supply Company’s devices offered a lower cost, Bivens noted the department’s preference for the equipment from Kamstrup. (There are additional costs for start-up and check valves.)

With Kamstrup, he explained, the devices would be guaranteed for 20 years. They also provide monitoring that will notify water department superintendent Brock Farmer of potential leaks.

Utility Supply Company offers a 10-year limited warranty and does not have the same monitoring system.

Farmer noted discussions with the City of Marion, which has had the kamstrup meters for seven years and has had only two need replacement.

Bivens and Farmer suggested purchasing the new meters in phases — 50 meters, the check valves and start-up costs first followed by additional purchases of about 315 at a time. (Kamstrup agreed to lock in the price for 1,000 meters.)

City council members Christy Curts, Dan Watson, Randy Murphy, Donna Revolt and Bivens unanimously approved $100,000 in coronavirus relief funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to go toward the purchase with the remaining $57,250 to be split evening between the water and wastewater department budgets.

City employees will handle the installation of the new meters.

“I do want to say thanks because this is one of our bigger purchases and it will benefit the city,” Bivens said. “It’ll be rough starting out but I honestly believe we’ll get paid more per gallon than we are now. …

“It’ll do a bunch of good.”

Bivens also proposed several ordinance changes related to the city’s water service:

•Increasing the turn-on fee to $75 from the current $50. (He said it was last increased in 2012.)

•Charging temporary users based on usage with a $50 minimum at the discretion of the water department superintendent

•Raising the charge for after-hours calls to $50 from the current $35

•Increasing the tampering fee to $75 plus the cost of repairs and water usage

•Creating a fee for damage to water pits and antennas

Wastewater department superintendent Steven Gillette also proposed changing the ordinance for the level of oil/grease that can be discharged from the current 100 milligrams per liter to 25 milligrams per liter. Anything over the new limit would result in a surcharge of $2 per milligram.

Gillette explained that some local industries are approaching the current limit and that the oil and grease are causing problems with the city’s equipment. He said his research shows most municipalities in the area set a limit of 25 milligrams per liter.

All of the proposed ordinance changes will need to be written in ordinance form and brought back to the city council for a vote. The council is also expected to vote at its next meeting (Aug. 26) on proposed 3% increases to its water and sewer rates.

Also Monday, council members unanimously approved salary increases for the fire department’s three full-time employees at $900/per week for the chief, $865 for the assistant chief and $845 for the “swing.” The increases will be retroactive to July 1. 

Clerk-treasurer Kara Lowe suggested the changes as the city adjusts to new federal overtime rules that set the minimum salary for overtime-exempt employees at $844 per week. (The threshold will increase to $1,128 beginning Jan. 1.)

Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins also asked the council for thoughts on the 2025 salary ordinance. He noted that health and liability insurance costs are going up.

Council members tabled the issue for further review.

In other business, council:

•Approved the following: a $25,000 downtown revitalization loan for Firehouse BBQ and Blues; promoting city employee Tyler Benedict to a lab tech, which involves a pay increase to $17.73 per hour from his current $16.08 per hour; the purchase of a new mower from Sutter Bros. of Coldwater, Ohio, for $11,332; use of the baseball/softball diamond in Dunkirk City Park for the Spencer Calvert Memorial co-ed softball tournament on Sept. 14; and payment of claims totaling $389,051.

•Heard from Revolt that the city’s park board has faced challenges getting quotes for installing new playground equipment for Dunkirk City Park. (The lone current quote is $10,000 to install $5,000 worth of equipment.) She also reported that a sink and a urinal need to be replaced in the park bathrooms. The park board will address the issues at its Aug. 24 meeting.

•Received a thank you note from Jay County 4-H for its sponsorship.