Sewer rates set to go up again

Sewage rates will be going up again.

How much is not quite clear.

Portland City Council on Monday approved up to a 36% sewer rate increase on first reading.

The percentage will be finalized based on recent bids for work at the city’s wastewater treatment plant and returned to council for approval on second reading at its March 18 meeting.

Council members also questioned a fundraising letter that was recently distributed by Portland Police Department.

Ross Hagen of accounting and consulting firm Baker Tilly explained to council members that the version of the ordinance prepared for them Monday represented the highest amount the city may have needed to cover the $30 million bond they have previously approved. (The bond amount was also set high to make sure sufficient funding was available for the work.)

To cover that full bond amount would have required a 36% sewage rate increase. While the numbers are still being finalized, Hagen said that based on the bids the actual increase looks like it will be about 20%. He projected the average customer’s monthly bill would go to between $72 and $74.50 from the current $61.53.

This will mark the third rate increase to help cover the cost of the wastewater treatment plant project. In November 2022, city council approved increases of $7.44 per month (effective Jan. 1, 2023) and $8.47 per month (effective April 1, 2023) for  the average 4,000-gallon-per-month user.

Council members Kent McClung, Michele Brewster, Matt Goldsworthy, Mike Aker, Dave Golden and Ashley Hilfiker, absent Ron May, OK’d the increase on first reading with the understanding that adjusted numbers will be prepared for second reading at their next meeting.

Work at the wastewater treatment plant will include the construction of a wet weather pump station and an equalization basin. Low bids for those projects were $13.73 million and $4.57 million respectively. (Neither project has been awarded yet.)

The projects are required as part of the city’s agreed order with Indiana Department of Environmental Management that was signed in 2008. It is intended to eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the city by increasing the wastewater plant's capacity. In addition to the equalization basin and wet weather pump station, it also calls for the construction of an oxidation ditch.

Also Monday, McClung questioned a fundraising letter that recently was distributed by Portland Police Department seeking to raise $350,000 for  an “urgent request for assistance” for new police vehicles and equipment. The letter was signed by police chief Dustin Mock.

McClung said no such request for new vehicles has come before city council. (It has also not been discussed with Portland Board of Works.) He said any such requests should come before city council and be discussed in public.

Golden noted that he also heard from a resident who was upset about the letter. He said the resident pointed out that tax dollars should go toward such expenditures and that the letter “felt like a shakedown.”

Mayor Jeff Westlake said he was aware that Mock was writing a letter but didn’t know it was going out so quickly. He took accountability for the issue but said he has told Mock that such issues should go through city council.

McClung pointed out that such equipment needs should be considered during the budget process.

“Being on city council, it’s kind of like a two-way street of trust,” added Golden. “We trust that the departments, Lori, the mayor, everyone who comes before us, is going to do their homework. And on their part, they trust that we are gonna be reasonable in terms of granting requests that are well-researched. But we don’t have any request before us from the police department on this matter.”

Council members also agreed to be a challenger for the  Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program after hearing a presentation from Jay County Development Corporation executive director Travis Richards and Jay County Council member Cindy Bracy.

Richards explained that only selected entities — government units, non-profit organizations and internet service providers among them — can challenge the Federal Communications Commission data regarding unserved (less than 25-megabyte uploads and 3-megabyte uploads per second) and underserved (100/20) locations. That data will be used to help determine funding allocations as the federal program has $42 billion to expand high-speed broadband access nationwide.

Bracy said it is clear that some of the current data is incorrect.

Jay County Development Corporation, the county, Purdue Extension and East Central Indiana Regional Planning District will be partnering to gather data in order to submit challenges. 

“The louder we are, the better they hear,” said Bracy, noting the importance of enlisting challengers and looking at data from across the county. “The better Portland is, the better our county is. The better our county is, the better Portland is.”

Richards noted that a workshop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 11, at John Jay Center for Learning to walk residents through the process of providing data for the challenges

The city joined the regional planning district, JCDC, Jay County Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Jay County on the local list of registered challengers.

Also Monday, Goldsworthy addressed rumors regarding grocery stores, specifically a claim that Aldi is interested in locating a store in Portland. He assured residents that he, and others, have contacted grocery store operators, including Aldi, and that there is currently no interest. He asked that anyone who might have differing information please reach out to a council member. “Trust me, we all would love to have more grocery stores, more business,” Goldsworthy said.

McClung noted other options such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Fisher Meats and Jalisco Mexican Store. He added that there is no agreement with Walmart about limiting competition, as he has seen claimed on social media.

“I don’t comment because I don’t think Facebook is a place to conduct government business,” McClung said.

In other business, council:

•Heard a question from McClung about the procedure for where police vehicles are repaired in response to an item on the claims docket that showed repairs done at Hopkins Repair in rural Jay County. He suggested a request for proposals to ensure fairness.

•Approved placing a stop sign at the intersection of Ship and Main streets in Portland. It also tabled Portland Mayor Jeff Westlake’s proposal for a four-way stop at the intersection of Middle and North streets to allow council members to look at the location. (Goldsworthy indicated that he does not believe a stop sign is necessary at the intersection.)

•Heard Golden ask about progress on an ordinance to regulate where RVs can be parked and if they can be utilized as residences. City attorney Wes Schemenaur said he was waiting for council as a whole to provide feedback on a draft ordinance and suggest any changes. Council had a brief discussion on the issue but did not come to any conclusions.

•Stemming from the RV discussion, McClung asked how many individuals are legally allowed to occupy a residence. Schemenaur said a single-family household is considered two or more related individuals in the same household or no more than three unrelated individuals.