Sewer ordinance postponed once again

The sewer ordinance continues its uphill battle at Saratoga Town Hall.

Ordinance 828, which would raise sewer rates to pay for the Saratoga Wastewater Outfall Project, was tabled once again after heeding advice from town of Saratoga Engineer Chuck Bartlett and Saratoga town attorney Tom Thompson. Both Bartlett and Thompson were absent at the Oct. 21 town council meeting.

The initial ordinance proposed by the town of Saratoga states the sewer rates for residential dwellings may increase up to a maximum of $7.20 per month to go towards repayment of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan. Additional funds gathered from the increases would benefit the additional costs and maintenance of the facility.

At the October water and sewer board meeting, board members proposed the $7.20 increase be divided into two fees — $3.78 increase to recapture shortfalls in the sewer project (which may increase up to 3 percent every year), and an additional $3.42 set aside to pay off the loan.

The purpose of passing the ordinance is to show the State Land Investment Board (SLIB) there will be additional revenue to pay for the loan. Passing the original $22.73 base sewer rate fee, which was altered to include when mobile home and apartment users, is an additional increase in revenues, Thompson said.

The revised ordinance proposed by the water and sewer board explains exactly how the $7.20 increase in sewer fees will be divided. Breaking down the costs, Thompson said, clutters the ordinance.

“What you can do is simply say mobile home parks, apartments and residential users are going to be paying this rate, commercial users are going to be paying this rate, and keep the language in there in regards to the 3 percent increase that equal application of the ordinance to all users …” Thompson said.

He said it would be wise for the town council to put the explanation on how additional revenues are going to be used in the form of a resolution. Putting the explanation of how the additional funds will be used serves no purpose, according to Thompson.

“I think those numbers … are still contingent. Those costs are not fixed. They are not definite,” Thompson said. “So putting those in the form of an ordinance now, really what you are looking at is that you are going to change that sometime within the next six months.”

Thompson recommended the town pass an ordinance which increases the fee for the residential users and multi-unit residential users, and another ordinance for the commercial users.

A resolution could be used to clarify what to do with the additional earning to the incoming council, Thompson said.

The town council sent Thompson’s recommendation to the water and sewer board.

The general election put the current town council in a peculiar spot. The sitting council only has three regular meetings left. With Richard Raymer and Will Faust joining the council, and Ed Glode taking the seat as mayor, the three sitting water and sewer board members could have a voting majority to potentially pass through their recommended version of Ordinance 828.

On several occasions, both Faust and Glode, along with many other members of the water and sewer board, advocated for splitting the $7.20 increase. The board will meet tonight at 6 p.m. at Saratoga Town Hall.

At the Oct. 21 meeting, local apartment and multi-unit residential owners expressed concerns about hotels being charged the same amount as apartment buildings because they host long-term workers. The town council has not addressed those concerns as of the last town council meeting.

The next Saratoga Town Council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Nov. 17 at Saratoga Town Hall.