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ELKINS -- Elkins City Council will vote today on creating a new Elkins Water Board to manage and operate the city's water system.
The proposed ordinance would transfer "management, control and operation of the municipal waterworks system" from the city of Elkins to the new water board.
"Council would retain all significant responsibility for and authority over the system, including rate-setting, just as with the sanitary board/sewer system, and the board would manage operations," a statement attached to today's meeting agenda reads.
The public waterworks system includes the city's "water filtration and treatment plant, river intake, water storage tanks, distribution lines, booster stations" and all facilities and properties, both within and outside the city boundaries, the proposed ordinance states.
The water board will consist of five members, one being the mayor "or the mayor's designee," and the other four being appointed by city council; however, they cannot be councilmembers, officers or employees of the City of Elkins. At least three of the board members, including the mayor, must be Elkins residents, and all five board members must be West Virginia residents. The board member's terms will run for four years.
The mayor will serve as chairman of the Water Board; the city treasurer will serve as the board's treasurer; and the city clerk will serve as the secretary of the board. Neither the treasurer or the city clerk will be considered a member of the water board.
Water bills will be collected and accounted for by the Water Board, according to the proposed ordinance, and "all disbursements and accounts of the system shall be ordered paid out only upon approval of" the Water Board.
The Water Board will have a separate budget, and provide annual financial reports to city council.
The proposed ordinance states that the city wants to create a Water Board for "the assurance and protection of the citizens of the city and for the purpose of assuring the holders of the bonds of the city payable from the income and revenues of the system of an efficient supervision, operation and maintenance thereof."
"No amendment or repeal of this ordinance shall be enacted unless approved by 75% of the members of" Elkins City Council, the proposed ordinance states.
Thursday will mark the second of two readings of the proposed ordinance.
Also at Thursday's meeting:
• Council will consider the addition of two new firefighter positions to the Elkins Fire Department. If the creation of the positions are approved, they will be filled later.
• Three budgets will be submitted to council for approval: the General Fund, the Landfill Fund and the Coal Severance Fund.
Elkins City Council will meet at 7 p.m. today at the Phil Gainer Community Center.