Water board keep rates

Water board keeps rates


By Steven Jones
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 11:32 PM CDT

By Steven Jones
The Selma Times-Journal
Despite assurances from members at Monday's public forum, the Dallas County Water and Sewer Authority didn't lower rates at Tuesday's regular meeting.
Chairperson Evelyn Huff said the board hasn't had a chance to discuss the rate changes, but will do so as soon as possible.
Huff, along with the rest of the board, was criticized by more than 300 residents at a public meeting Monday at Tipton Middle School.
Along with County Commissioner Connell Towns, board members said they would review the rate increase, which was at least 66 percent, and try to lower it.
”I'm going to meet with the water board,“ he said Monday. ”We're going to come up with a solution to lower your water rate.“
Huff agreed.
”I'm ready to go back to the drawing board,“ she said.
Still, Huff, along with the rest of the board and representatives from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Alabama Rural Water Association defended the increase at Tuesday's meeting, which was also packed to capacity at the authority's office on Old Montgomery Highway.
”This board is trying to work with this community the best it can,“ she said.
Catherine Phillips, of the ARWA, helped put together the rate increase.
She said it was reasonable.
”$17.15 is below the state average,“ she said, referring to the amount paid by customers under the new rate for the first 2,000 gallons of water.
Huff and the board allowed members of the community to chose a representative to speak for them.
”We will allow one of you to speak,“ she said.
Bill Minor, member of the Dallas County School Board, took the lead.
”Try to reduce your rates,“ he said. ”Bring them down.“
Minor offered to help find grant writers to work on getting funding for upgrades to the water system.
”We're just here to try and find a common solution without jumping up and down,“ he said.
Board members said Monday the increase would be used to pay for major repairs, which hadn't been done in more than 30 years.
Huff said she appreciated Minor's demeanor Tuesday, but felt the community at larged should have approached the issues similarly at Monday's meeting.
”I wish this community would have come to us last night like they did tonight,“ she said.
Huff said members of the community wouldn't let the board state their case at Monday's meeting.
”The board tried to address this thing,“ she said. ”For some reason or another people did not want to listen (at Monday's meeting).“
Huff also defended the board about being flexible with customers, an issue she brought up at Monday's meeting.
Huff said the board made payment arrangements with many of the people who spoke out at Monday's meeting against the increase.
”When we make payment arrangements we make a list,“ she said Tuesday. ”We're not going to get into that.“
The board also mentioned late and unpaid bills at the Tuesday meeting.
The board has about $8,000 in arrears from September according to financial reports presented at last night's meeting.
Loren Crawford, ADEM representative, said the arrears showed a lot about the community.
”What that tells me is the community is not working with the water system,“ he said. ”The community is not paying their bills.“
Later, after hearing from Minor and other members of the audience, the board went into executive session to discuss good name and character issues, Huff said.