Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 26, 1990 TAG: 9006260373
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"That is a little too much for me at one time," said Councilman Howard Musser, explaining his opposition to a recommendation by City Manager Robert Herbert and Finance Director Joel Schlanger to raise water rates by 61 percent and sewer rates by 65 percent over the next five years.
Councilman David Bowers suggested that Herbert and Schlanger were making a "last-minute grasp" to get council to approve the five-year plan before two new council members - James Harvey and William White - take office next week.
"The new council members might feel differently about it," Bowers said. "I'm concerned that this wasn't brought up at budget study. If it is so important, why didn't we have more time to consider it?"
But three members - Vice Mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr., Elizabeth Bowles and Councilman Robert Garland - disagreed sharply with Bowers and Musser.
They argued that the five-year plan was needed to pay for $32 million in improvements to the water and sewer systems that Herbert says are operating "at or near capacity."
Fitzpatrick said he was disappointed that council had not received a recommendation earlier, but he added that the need for higher water and sewer rates has been known for several years. Without adequate water and sewer facilities, he said, the city has little, if any, hope of attracting new businesses and industries.
Garland said the five-year plan was needed to help ensure that the city's water and sewer facilities are adequate for 20 to 30 years.
Councilman James Trout said he was concerned about the timing of the recommendation because he and Garland will leave council at the end of the week when his term expires.
But he helped forge a compromise that won the backing of Bowers and Musser for approval of the increases that were recommended in the first year. Council also approved increases in water and sewer connection fees and related charges.
Schlanger said the 12 percent increase in water rates will provide the funds to help upgrade and expand the Falling Creek water-filter plant, but it won't provide money for any other improvements to the water system.
The increase in sewer rates will help reduce a deficit in the sewer fund, he said, but it will not provide any money for expansion of the sewage treatment plant or other improvements to the sewer system.
Herbert and Schlanger recommended that both water and sewer rates be increased by slightly more than 12 percent in each of the next five years.
Herbert said the city needs to spend $17.1 million on water facilities and $15.5 million on the sewage-treatment plant and related facilities.
Roanoke is facing increasing pressure from state agencies to upgrade and expand both its water-filter plants and the sewage-treatment plant, Herbert said.
The city has plenty of water, but it needs to expand filter plants and upgrade pumping station to avoid water pressure problems in dry summer months, he said.
The Carvins Cove water-filter plant's treatment capacity needs to be increased from 18 million to 28 million gallons a day. A pump station also needs to be upgraded and major new transmission line is needed to help transport water, Herbert said.
The average daily cost for water and sewer service for a typical customer is 28 cents. At the end of five years, this cost would have been be 45 cents under the five-year plan.
But the rates for Roanoke residents at the end of five years would still have been below the current statewide average of 60 cents a day, Schlanger said.
The sewage-treatment plant has a rated capacity to handle 35 million gallons of sewage a day, but the average flow has exceeded that amount in the past 13 months. The flow has averaged about 38 million to 40 million gallons a day.
The plant has violated parts of the state's permit dealing with the volume of discharge into the Roanoke River, but the level of pollutants has complied with the permit.
The state Water Control Board has told the city to develop plans for expanding the treatment plant, and consultants have proposed plans for the expansion project.
If the plant continues to violate permit restrictions on the volume of sewage, Herbert said, the state could impose a ban on new sewer connections.
by CNB