Mayor breaks down rate increase proposal
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I want to thank the community members who have attended meetings, asked questions, and been involved in this process of working through the challenges related to the wastewater treatment facility financing and the proposed water rate restructure.
We apologize for any confusion. Through trying to provide the community with as much information as possible, I believe we may have made it more difficult to understand. Therefore we are trying to clarify the information for what the proposed sewer and water rates may look like. Please visit www.cityofpolson.com for rate scenario examples, or contact City Hall at 883-8200 to request information.
Additionally, I would like to provide some further details on these two projects and clarify some information.
• At present, no final decisions have been made. The Commission is currently doing additional research. The information here and being included on the website is to clarify what is currently on the table.
• Water Rate Restructure: We engaged Carl Brown Consulting to provide a review and recommendation to the City of Polson for the water and sewer rate structure. Regarding the water rate structure specifically (not sewer), the recommendation to restructure was made by Mr. Brown. This restructure will increase water costs for some, and will decrease water costs for others. Additional funds collected from the water billing will help to cover the water looping project taking place downtown. A TSEP Grant will cover a large portion of this project, but additional funding is needed to complete it. Once again please refer to the City website or call the city for more information.
• Sewer Rate Increase: The sewer rate increase is currently being considered specifically to cover the costs of a new wastewater treatment facility. The lagoon system that was built in 1952 is failing, we are not currently meeting EPA required limits for the effluent discharge, and based on our engineering firm’s report the lagoons will reach their capacity by 2018. Additionally, requirements are expected to be tightened even further in the next four years. The information we are showing with respect to rates is based on the “worst case scenario.” Unfortunately we need to do it this way because we cannot count on getting grants, however we are applying for as many as we can and are hopeful that they will be awarded. Construction estimates are also based on high expectations, so we should potentially see some decreases based on better costs coming in for construction activities as well.
• A phase-in approach (increasing partially now, then doing another increase in the future) for the sewer rate increase was presented to the Commission on July 7. Options are being considered to help ease the burden to the citizens. This document is also included on the City website or can be available by calling City Hall.
• Once again, no final decisions have been made and the City Commission continues to gather information on both of these projects.
Please take an opportunity to review this additional information, and do not hesitate to call City Hall at (406) 883-8200 or stop by to have them assist you with analyzing your personal situation and how it may be affected should these changes be made.
I would also encourage you to contact your Ward Representatives or myself to provide us with your input on which options you would like to see us implement, or ask any further questions you may have. You can email me at mayor@cityofpolson.com or call (406) 883-8205 or (406) 212-0489 to reach me.
Due to the necessary projects, timelines and requirements, the Commission will need to make decisions. Once again, I highly recommend that you contact your Ward Representatives or myself to provide us with your input. We will have a Special Meeting on Monday, July 28 at 6 p.m. to further discuss and likely vote on these topics. This meeting will take place at City Hall.
I will end by saying that we have numerous challenges facing us. As your mayor and fellow citizen, I am deeply concerned about what the impacts will be to the people of our town. The Commission has worked very hard to be informed, and is focused on making the best decision for the people of Polson.
