(Milford)– The Milford City Council this (Monday) evening approved the first reading of a proposal to hike sewer rates in the city by six percent per year for the next four years. Mayor Steve Anderson says the proposed increase was based on a study that was done into the sustainability of the sanitary sewer fund…
“What they found was that we were actually using general fund money to offset the losses of the sewer system. So you get charged a sewer rate. That sewer fee has been increased every year and I think we went back 10, 15 years, and every year it’s always been increased. It’s just that when Piper Jaffrey did an outside look at it they realized that, they’re estimating this fiscal year, which we won’t know until the audit’s done, we’re taking about $150,000 out of our general fund property taxes to offset the sewer bills, the payment to the sewer system. So that’s the reason, it’s because the sewer system, the sewer bills, are actually in the red for paying for itself and so that’s the whole purpose of this, is to try to get it so we’re back in the black.”
In addition, City Administrator LeAnn Reinsbach says the increased revenue would also help fund replacement of sewer lines under County Road A-34 in the city, which is scheduled for 2022, along with televising sewer lines throughout the city and to refurbish the city’s jetter truck.
The council opted to hold off on holding the second and third readings and final adoption of the increase to the July 27th meeting at the request of a citizen who said she just learned of the proposed increase and wanted more time to study it.
In other business, the Milford City Council also approved an engineering agreement for the P Avenue and 13th Street reconstruction project. The engineer outlined the scope of the project to the council…
“This would be the project that we’ve kind of talked about off and on for P Avenue from 13th up to 21st, getting that reconstructed and fixing some drainage along there, particularly in about the middle of the project. And then the fairly recent add on, so at 13th Street we’d come off the highway and head east to P Avenue and then get that all incorporated into one project.”
The council also discussed the possibility of putting in a cul-se-sac at the end of Airport Drive but instead opted to have signs installed warning motorists the road comes to a dead end. The action follows concern from a resident at the end of the street over vehicles turning around in his driveway.
