After concerns were raised by the public and a few Council members, the Saratoga Springs City Council tabled a motion Tuesday night, March 18, that would raise water and sewer rates for city users.
During the public hearing that preceded a 90-minute presentation by Public Works Director William McTygue on the increase, former Mayor Valerie Keehn appealed to the Council to table the motion for further review.
I urge you to not take any action on this resolution tonight, she told the Council, adding that to vote on the increase without any further review would be `a disservice to the residents of the city.`
City resident John Kraus, a former employee of the state Division of the Budget, and perennial city-finance critic, said he encouraged the Council to keep in the spirit of Sunshine Week (March 16-22) and `let the sun shine on this budget process and this increase.` Sunshine Week is a national initiative promoting the principals of open government.
During his presentation, McTygue said the increase was relatively minor and would help restore a sound operational budget for water and sewer improvements and cover past operational deficits.
The city’s water and sewer rates are based upon a 13-tier system that charges users based on water consumption. The first three categories that range in use from zero to 25,000 cubic feet of water comprise 97 percent of the city’s water users.
The average city user consumes 3,500 cubic feet of water per year. A single cubic foot of water is equal to 7.5 gallons.
The first tier, users between zero and 2,000 cubic feet, which make up 55 percent of the total users, are slated for a $1.35 per 1,000 cubic feet increase to $10.40; second tier, 2,000 to 8,000 cubic feet, 36 percent of users, will see a $1.66 per 1,000 cubic foot increase to $12.50; and tier three, 8,000 to 25,000 cubic feet, six percent of users, will see a $1.74 increase, to $13.10 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The department is proposing raising the city’s one-time basic rate for water service from $7 to $10.
The increases are the second of such in two years as the number of users in the city and the amount of water they use continues to drop, said Anthony `Skip` Scirocco, Department of Public Works commissioner.
`It’s a situation where usage has decreased. It’s created a problem. A lot of the new buildings in the city have helped to create this problem. We don’t sell the water we used to,` said Scirocco in an earlier interview.
The past two years, new technology and water conservation efforts have made good on cutting back on water consumption. Last year and this year, water and sewer rates have had to increase as usage decreases and the cost of maintaining the city’s aging water infrastructure increases in both cost and frequency, said Scirocco.
The problem was pointed out in a city audit last year that called for a financial safety net for the water system, he said. The need has come and the safety net isn’t quite as strong as city officials would like.
There are several projects in the works, scheduled to break ground in the spring, to update city water mains to bolster supply in older areas of Saratoga Springs, Scirocco said. Also the city stands to lose large water users, such as the thoroughbred track.
This summer, as part of capital improvements, the Saratoga Racecourse will drill wells to draw its own water. City water will continue to be used at many stables, said Scirocco.
But the infield lake, that drew upon city water and leaked `like a sieve,` will be patched up and filled, he said. Also the city will be losing a portion of sales to the town of Wilton as its neighbor to the north expands its own municipal water lines to the Interstate 87, Exit 15 commercial area, said McTygue.
The city has enjoyed relatively cheap water and sewer rates compared to neighboring municipalities, said McTygue. In 2001, the city rates were pinned as the sixth lowest in the state, he said. According to McTygue, the city’s usage has remained pretty flat, but every year is subject to seasonal strains that make or break the budget, he said.
`This is so weather dependent. The amount of water you sell depends on it. If it’s a wet summer, that’s less sales. Although the city is growing and we are seeing new additions to the system, it’s a constant estimate of anticipated usage in trying to develop this budget,` McTygue said.
The increases will help the system cope with increasing energy costs to pump the water and chemicals to treat water, he said.
The city sewer rates are based on the same tier system and calculated by a user’s intake of water.
Users in the zero to 2,000 cubic feet of use will see a 85 cent increase to $17.85 per 1,000 cubic feet of use, and the greatest number of users between 2,000 and 8,000 cubic feet will see a $1.35 increase to $27.85 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Sewer rate increases are to cover the cost of tying into the county sewer system that accounts for $2.2 million, or 64 percent, of the city budget.
In the end, however, the motion to institute the rate increase was tabled amid concerns from the Council’s two incumbent Democrat councilmen and the new Republican commissioner of finance.
`I have a problem with the whole process,` Commissioner of Accounts John Franck said. `I don’t know why we don’t hold this open a couple more weeks.`
Commissioner of Finance Ken Ivins and Commissioner of Public Safety Ron Kim agreed, saying more public input was needed before a vote could take place. Kim said he didn’t know if an increase was warranted or not, but said the burden is on the DPW to prove that to the other departments.“