Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

To keep up with inflation, Emmet council votes to raise water rates

Emmet residents will be seeing slightly higher water bills, starting in March.

The Emmet City Council, at its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 8,voted to raise the city's water rates to $9.75 for the first 1,000 gallons of use, and 25 cents per 1,000 gallons afterwards up to 5,000 gallons.

In addition, the council approved increasing the deposit for water meters to $50 from $35, while fees for installing a new water tap will be $200.

Emmet Mayor Dale Booker said the increases were necessary as the city has been hit with unexpected expenses in the last few years, and several things in the water department will have to be repaired and replaced in the near future.

Water rates in Emmet, he said, haven't been raised in seven years, and Farmer's Home Administration urges communities with water departments to increase rates regularly to meet the higher cost of making repairs. FHA, he said, also suggests cities have contingency funds for emergencies.

Booker told the council about problems the city is having with its water and sewer system.

The pumps at the sewer pond on Hickey Lane are worn out, he said, and will cost the city $10,000 to replace.

However, while this will solve one problem, it won't have any affect on another. The plumbing in the pump wells is going bad and will have to be replaced. The saving grace, he said, is there is little pipe involved, but it's a dirty job and will be costly.

Another problem the city is having with the sewer system is the levee is in need of repair.

Apparently, beaver have been tunneling into the levee, causing it to further weaken and collapse in at least one spot. The problem, Booker said, is the levee is old and hasn't been properly maintained.

"We need to shore up the sides as they're eroding," he said. "Eventually, we'll have to clean out the pond and it will be expensive, but we need to do some preventative maintenance."

Because of these problems, he said, the city needs to put some money back so the repairs can be made without Emmet going broke. Thus the increase in water rates.

But, Emmet's water rates will still be lower than surrounding communities. Bodcaw's base rate for 1,000 gallons, he said, is $18.25. The Rosston City Council voted, a few years ago, on an annual 2 percent increase in its rates to keep its water department solvent and able to handle repairs.

Emmet's council discussed an annual increase of 2 percent, but decided to examine the issue each year and make a determination then.

On the meter deposit, Booker said the rate has been $35 since 1985, and the city has been losing money when people move in and leave owing water bills of more than the deposit amount.

He suggested $50, with the council agreeing.

For the tap fee, he said the city has been charging $150, though it costs at least that much for the materials to do the job. Emmet also charges $150 for sewer tap fees, but didn't address those rates at the meeting.

The city, he said, will provide the tap from the street to the right of way, but the homeowner must have the pipe run to the right of way where it can be connected.

The increase of $50 was done, Booker said, because if it was more it could scare people off and keep them from moving to Emmet.

The street department, he said, has a budget of $26,000 for 2003. Of this, $5,000 goes for street lights, with another good chunk being earmarked for mowing.

This, he said, doesn't leave much for maintenance and repairs.

After Hebb Sorrells and Johnny Clary were welcomed as the two newest members, Booker discussed changing the meeting time and date.

The council had been meeting at 7:45 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. But, it was decided to change it to the third Wednesday and move the time up to 7 p.m.

By doing this, Booker said, the bank statements can be updated better and financial reports will be more accurate. It will also give him time to send the reports to the council members prior to the meeting, so they can look it over and see if they have any questions.

The city, Booker said, is still looking for someone to sell some timber to. There are two blocks in town with trees needing to be cut, so the streets can be opened.

The money from the sale of this timber will be earmarked for the street department.

By getting these areas cleaned up, Booker said, it will make Emmet look better and can help cut down on the mosquito problem.