Bethany residents will be feeling the financial bite from the construction of the wastewater treatment plant after the city council Monday night enacted an over 50% increase in water and sewer rates.
The council, on a 3-1 vote, approved a $25-a-month increase in the base charge for sewer service and also increased the water rate. Westward Alderman Randy Mann voted against the rate increase, describing the hike as âastronomicalâ coming at the same time as the $25 sewer increase.
Steve Miles, also of the Westward, said the council has always been aware that the $25 base charge would be necessary as part of the financing for the sewer plant project, which is scheduled to begin construction in the late summer.
Aldermen Lance Johns and Todd Williams also voted in favor of the rate hike. Williams suggested that the city could evaluate the water and sewer rates over the nine 90 to 120 days, saying that âwe have the ability to lower it at some future date.â
The water charge will increase from $8 to $10 for the first 750 gallons of water used and from 0.009 to .011 dollars per gallon for greater than 750 gallons. The rate outside the city limits will increase from $11.25 to $13.25 for the first 750 gallons but will remain at .01166 per gallon for greater than 750 gallons.
Sewer bills are calculated at 80% of the water charge for commercial and residential customers within the city limits and at 95% for customers outside the city limits.
In other business, City Clerk Nita Schroff administered the oath of office to re-elected board members Todd Williams and Steve Miles. Randy Mann was re-elected as the president of the Board of Aldermen.
The council approved a liquor license for G.K. Fuel Marts of Overland Park, Kan., which is purchasing Bethany One-Stop. The license is subject to state approval.
City Administrator Jan Hagler reported that R/S Electric has begun work on the new street lighting project. R/S began installing pedestals for the new light poles on Bulldog Avenue. The new LED street light program involves changing out 52 poles on Bulldog and on 25th Street from Crestview to Oakland Avenue. Nail Excavating will be installing underground wiring for the project. Hagler said street sections will go dark during the four to six weeks of the project.
The administrator said the Parks and Recreation Department and ball leagues will be holding a work day on Saturday to clean up the fields for the upcoming season. The ball league hopes to attract a Little League All-Star tournament to Bethany.
A representative of the Federal Aviation Agency met with airport officials and police to discuss security issues. The FFA official, William McCarthy, said unmanned airports in small towns are being used by drug traffickers who park their planes there to rest on long flights. Some of the traffickers use night vision lights to avoid detection, he said.
Casey Guernsey, who is handling economic development program through Axiom Strategies, told the board that he is working on two âspecial projectsâ that could develop following the approval of the cityâs transportation sales tax. He said he couldnât go into specifics about the projects because of confidentiality but said there is a âgood potentialâ for new developments.