City may be looking at
more utility rate hikes
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August 28, 2011 |
After a city council meeting August 8, the
Bonners Ferry City Council may soon be looking
at further rate hikes to maintain and upgrade an
aging water and sewer system after a bleak
report by superintendent Jim Fritsche.
"The infrastructure is aging and needs to be
replaced over time," Fritsche told the council,
"and in order to maintain the services the
public has come to expect the city needs to have
funds in reserve to keep the infrastructure
upgraded."
The city gets most of its water from Myrtle
Creek, and the Kootenai River is a back up
source, which had to be brought on line
following the 2003 Myrtle Creek Fire, but the
water system allowing use of that back up
source, Fritsche said, is not up to par.
"The river pumps are old, the river has debris
and the pumps would not last due to the debris,"
he said. "The river water is also dirty so it
must be treated differently than the water from
Myrtle Creek. It is difficult to treat and takes
a long time."
In addition, steel water tanks are deteriorating
and will need to be replaced.
Those on city water saw a large rate hike last
year for needed repairs and upgrades, but
Fritshe recommended the council plan for the
future by having smaller rate increases spaced
out over time. Mayor Dave Anderson asked if a
funding reserve should be established, Fritshe
said such a fund should be done to help replace
infrastructure that is deteriorating, but said
it doesn't take long to spend a reserve.
Councilman Mike Klaus, himself an engineer, said
the city tends to go along on a flat line for a
long time as regards infrastructure
improvements, then sees a large jump in costs as
repairs and upgrades become critical.
"The water plant can be compared to a 1958
pickup," he said. "Not too many people drove a
1958 pickup to the meeting tonight, and if they
did, they would have had to put some money into
the vehicle to keep it running."
He said it would be due diligence on the city's
part to try to keep up with inflation through
smaller rate hikes so as not to place such a
burden on the community.
No decisions have yet been made, but the council
will be looking more closely into the issue in
the weeks and months ahead. |
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