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Residents protest rate hike

Seaman

ELKINS — Elkins City Council approved on first reading Thursday a proposed 21.5% increase in the rates for sewage and sewage disposal services, after hearing protests from several city residents during the meeting’s public comment period.

All members of council present voted in favor of the increase. Fourth Ward representative Marilynn Cuonzo was out of town and not able to attend Thursday’s meeting.

Four individuals spoke against the rate increase during the meeting’s public comment section.

Judy Seaman said she’s lived in her house on South Davis Avenue for 47 years, and has suffered from flooding in her basement for decades.

“My basement will fill with water every time it rains … I was really stunned to find out that they are going to be working on this problem, to clear up this mixture of storm sewer and sanitary sewer, only to find that it’s not going to affect my house,” Seaman said. “I’m really disgusted by this, and upset, and then to find that I’m going to have to pay more in taxes and still have the mess is just putting me over the top.”

Mike Elza, of South Kerens Avenue, said he was concerned with the “accountability and transparency of city council.”

“I’ve been a lifelong resident … I wish the city and council could be a little more transparent with their financial dealings,” Elza said. “They could have told us this was coming for the last year, instead of at the last minute.”

Diana Vera, of Harpertown Road, said her property has been affected by water and drainage issues for decades.

“How long is this going to last? Passing the buck, letting someone else be accountable,” Vera said. “I’m just here to let you know, there are going to be folks who are going to say, ‘No, we are not going to pay the increase in our water bills so South Elkins can have new sewers’…

“So, no, we’re not going to pay an increase in our water bills,” she said. “You can do what you’re gonna do here tonight, but when the time comes, there are people who are going to be up in arms about that.”

Karen Currence, of Wilson Lane, said several elderly people in her church have said they will not be able to afford an increase in their monthly bills.

“Please take into consideration putting this on the backs of people, when it was caused by poor planning by administrations 40 years ago,” Currence said.

If passed, the rate hike will result in a $6.66 per month increase to the average residential user and a $26.86 monthly increase to the average commercial user, the information in the packet states.

A public hearing on the proposed project and rate increase will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 7, immediately prior to the City Council meeting in which the proposal will be voted on for the second and final time.

“The meeting will be open to the public and any interested parties may appear at the meeting and present protests, if any, with respect to the proposed ordinance,” a letter to city water customers reads.

The informational packet for Thursday’s meeting states that the project cost is estimated to be $4.3 million, to be funded through a loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The loan would be for a term of 20 years, at an interest rate of 3%.

Pingley earlier told The Inter-Mountain the project involves “water and sewer separation. The bulk of that for Phase 2 will be over in South Elkins. There are some other areas that it will reach into a bit but the majority will be in South Elkins.

“This is mandated by the consent decree that we’re under,” he said, noting the work must be finished by a certain time.

The purpose of the Sewer/Stormwater Project, as the city refers to the effort, is the segregation of the sanitary sewer from the storm sewer to meet a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consent decree in relation to Elkins’ inability to adhere to Clean Water Act regulations.

Separating the two systems will enhance the sewer facility’s capacity. During heavy rains in the past, the sewer has overflowed and spilled over into the Tygart River.

The consent decree was ordered in 2012 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, with the state and the U.S. government as the plaintiffs and the city of Elkins as the defendant. The consent decree was the result of a negotiation between the parties involved.

Phase 1 of the project, which began in 2015, focused on Barron Avenue, Kerens Avenue, College Street and Wilson Street.

Phase 2 will affect Lavalette Avenue and Elm Street.

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