Spickard Aldermen Rescind Water/Sewer Rate Increase Ordinance

The Spickard Board of Aldermen took action on several items and heard reports during a special meeting on Wednesday, May 29 at Spickard City Hall.
According to minutes provided by Temporary City Clerk Jennifer Roberts, the board voted 4-0 to rescind an ordinance approved in April to significantly increase water and sewer rates. The 2019 budget, which included the rate increases, was recently rescinded by the board. A new budget is to be prepared and will include smaller rate increases, which board members have said are still needed.
Several billing concerns were addressed by the board. Liz Grove of the Missouri Rural Water Alliance told members that utility customers whose April 2019 bills showed usage greater than their actual reading were given a financial credit, but that the credit was calculated and applied incorrectly. She suggested, and the board agreed, to charge those customers the minimum usage fee until the actual gallons used catch up to the estimated gallons. She said that entering current usage numbers will cause the billing software to calculate bills as if the water meter had been turned over. Actual usage can be written on the outgoing May bills.
The board was also told that the incorrect financial credits, which were based on water usage, were also mistakenly applied to the trash bill in April. The council voted to place the April trash service fee on the June bill for those customers who received an incorrect financial credit for the April service. It was noted that the rates approved by ordinance in April were not applied to the April or May bills and that the May bill has been delayed. Mayor Alan Tharp encouraged any community member with a concern about their bill to contact city hall.
The board voted that the May utility bills will be payable on June 17 and late fees will be applied on June 18. Hang tags will be added on June 21 to allow customers more time to get their bill paid because they will be going out later than usual. It was noted the bills will be considered late if they arrive after 8 a.m. on the day the late fee is added.
Lagoon operator Dave Akins reported that the city lagoon is full and that discharges will take place next month for at least two weeks. At least three sets of testing will be done, which will be an extra expense for the city. It was noted that the city currently does not treat for E.Coli and that the city may violate the E.Coli limit specified in its Missouri Department of Natural Resources permit with the discharge. Akins said that in some years the city can meet the E.Coli limits by discharging before and after the recreational season (defined as April 1 to Oct. 1), however the rain this year will not allow that to happen. If there is a violation, the city will need to note that it does not have a way to treat for E.Coli but that the city is looking into options. A bleach-based treatment plan may be a good option, he said.
It was noted that the berm needs to be mowed and maintained and that Jerry Brundage has offered to mow the berm to allow the city to be able to mow in the future using a finish mower.
Akins also reported that Scott Adams of the DNR has told the city it needs to meet its “schedule of compliance” regarding its permit as well as providing an inflow and infiltration report to DNR. The city should be documenting the past three years’ activity to major contributors to the lagoon being full. Tharp said the city has been in contact with the Missouri Rural Water Alliance to identify concerns and options for fixing them.
As part of the schedule of compliance, the city will also need to submit records electronically through the eDNR system. The city will send in the application and, until it is approved, Akins will share his reports via email with the city clerk so a hard copy may be submitted to the DNR.
It was noted that currently the city is required to monitor ammonia levels at the lagoon and that in a few years, the city will have to meet ammonia limits. A variety of options at varying costs are available for future upgrades that may be needed, however, it was noted the lagoon is functioning as expected and at this time the city needs to focus on other sewer concerns. Tharp told the council that the pumps and lines are the priorities right now.
It was noted that the Coral Street Lift Station cannot be repaired and needs to be replaced. The previous contacted contractor, Irvinbilt, is still willing to honor its contract with an approximate cost of $11,700, payable by the city at a rate of $1,000 per month. The company will need one week’s notice to begin the work. The repair is a priority and is listed on the city’s compliance schedule. The board voted in favor to go ahead with the work.
Aldermen also voted to have repairs made to a pump at the Second Street Lift Station. Allied Services of Chillicothe has estimated the cost to be $3,500, with the payment to be made within 30 days of completion. There are two pumps at that lift station, with one having already been repaired and replaced.
In other business, the board:
• discussed the need to hire a new city attorney after the resignation of their previous attorney. Aldermen Charles Holtzclaw and Daniel Chapman are to look into this and report back at the June 10 meeting.
• was told a newspaper advertisement has been placed, seeking bids to hay city-owned property. The bids are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, June 10 and will be read at the board meeting that evening.
• was reminded that the June city hall office hours are 8 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• voted to require two signatures on city checks, adding aldermen Wilbur Roberts and Maggie George as authorized signers on the city bank accounts.
• approved the financial report, which showed a total of $6,783.53 in two checking accounts, $6,214.21 in a money market account and $6,306.67 in a savings account.
The next council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 10.