Water bills about to change

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

DAVIS

McMinnville residents are likely to notice a change in their water bills when the bills reflecting new rates go out in October.

Citing needs for three major improvements to the water department, city leaders this month made official an increase to the water rate after passing it on second reading. They estimate a 10 percent across-the-board increase that varies based upon use.

New revenue is needed for a new water storage tank, a lime compaction system to recycle solid waste as well as major repairs to the city’s water tower located off Main Street, Water and Sewer Chairman Jimmy Bonner said.

The improvements were expected to cost more than $4 million, with about $2.1 million estimated for a new three million gallon storage tank, $2 million estimated for the lime stabilization project and $420,000 estimated for water tank repairs, according to Water and Wastewater Director Carl Davis.

Davis said plans were to borrow for all three projects within similar loan programs offered by the state, but later said repairs for the water tower may have to be re-bid by the committee and may be included in a separate loan. He said water tower repairs are common across the state and are not considered eligible under those particular programs.

Davis said he expected all three projects to become reality, however, and noted water customers using smaller amounts of water may actually benefit from the “increase” because the newest rate system is based upon gallons used.

“It will help the small users,” he said. “It will increase a little for the larger users, but smaller uses will be seeing a decrease.”