Sewer rates on City Council agenda

7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 Pea Ridge City Hall, Council room

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

— Two public hearings and many discussions about increasing sewer rates are expected to culminate Tuesday at the Pea Ridge City Council meeting when an ordinance to increase the sewer rates will be presented to the council.

The city’s water/wastewater superintendent, Ken Hayes, has presented the need to the council and public during two public hearings. He said the city is required by law to have a rate sufficient to meet the department’s maintenance and operationbudget. The department has had to take money out of the savings account to cover the shortfall the past couple of years.

“We are in a different place than we were five years ago,” Hayes said at the February public meeting. “We didn’t have approaching capacities like we do now.”

Hayes said the rate increase he has given to the council was recommended by McGoodwin, Williams and Yates, engineers who have explored various options for the department and its future.

Other items on the agenda include:

◊Minutes of the Feb. 15, 2011, regular meeting and of the public hearing held Feb. 15, 2011;

◊Appoint a new Planning Commission member, Matthew R. Powers;

◊Consider two ordinances and two resolutions:

Ord. No. 515 - Sewer Rate Increase

Res. No. 325 - Clean Water Revolving Loan Program

Res. No. 326 - Wastewater Treatment System Improvement Project

Ord. No. 517 - Fireworks Ordinance

◊Announce the date for the annual Spring Clean Up - April 12 - 16, 2011

News, Pages 1 on 03/09/2011