June 7, 2008
75% Sewer Increase Generates Council Displeasure; Postponement and Referral to Finance Committee May Occur Monday
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The unfunded federal mandate concerning storm water and sewage systems bristled Huntington City Council members during their Friday, June 6 work session. After hearing about the magnitude of the fee increases to comply with the Clean Water Act, council member James Insco stated, “We’re going to run what is left of business out of town… people here want to know what is going on.”
Actually, members of council raised so many questions about the seemingly required by federal law plan that likely a special session will be called solely to discuss the city’s compliance with the law and any options for lesser increases.
Mayor David Felinton reminded council that the capital improvements to bring the city into partial compliance with the Clean Water Act has been “forced on the state” by the federal government. Expressing his own disdain for the “monster rate increases,” the Mayor indicated he would oppose a rate increase by the sanitary board not connected with the mandated environmental issue.
During the work session, Dr. Calvin Kent pondered the impacts of compliance upon communities to which Huntington sells services such as Pea Ridge. He questioned whether a “separate public service district entity” should be explored.
Consultants from Wisconsin will be in attendance at the Monday council meeting. They have been responsible for calculating a Clean Water compliance plan.
Meanwhile, as council raised multiple how and why regarding unexplained data and conclusions, Brian Chambers , a reporter for the Herald Dispatch, told council that he had a conversation with a Sanitary Board member who indicated that the board “may” ask for a delay on these items which make up items 13 to 16 of the Monday agenda.
Expressing his concern and frustration, Dr. Calvin Kent told HNN, “the federal government is wonderful on saying you gotta do this out of your own money. Then, they dump it on the states and the states dump in on the cities. What’s particularly bad in this state is the cities are not given the financial capacity to pay for the mandates when they come down.”
The legislative record of unfunded mandates so irks Kent that he would like an opportunity to propose a state constitutional amendment: If the state thinks it’s a great program and the state has been told it’s their responsibility, then the state figures out how to pay for it, instead of telling the local governments , I don’t know how you are going to do it, but you have to do it.”
Despite the surge of questions from council members, the federal mandate to separate the city’s antiquated combination sewage/storm sewer system has been put off due to cost for more than a decade. Council member PD Adkins is on record as projecting a need for nearly $700 million dollars to fully comply with the federal and state government’s unfunded mandate to separate rain water flowing over polluted surfaces from mixing with raw sewage on its way to the Ohio River.
Since the monster increase will only be a first reading, no public comment will be allowed at the Monday, June 9 meeting of council.
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75% Sewer Increase Generates Council Displeasure; Postponement and Referral to Finance Committee May Occur Monday
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The unfunded federal mandate concerning storm water and sewage systems bristled Huntington City Council members during their Friday, June 6 work session. After hearing about the magnitude of the fee increases to comply with the Clean Water Act, council member James Insco stated, “We’re going to run what is left of business out of town… people here want to know what is going on.”
Actually, members of council raised so many questions about the seemingly required by federal law plan that likely a special session will be called solely to discuss the city’s compliance with the law and any options for lesser increases.
Mayor David Felinton reminded council that the capital improvements to bring the city into partial compliance with the Clean Water Act has been “forced on the state” by the federal government. Expressing his own disdain for the “monster rate increases,” the Mayor indicated he would oppose a rate increase by the sanitary board not connected with the mandated environmental issue.
During the work session, Dr. Calvin Kent pondered the impacts of compliance upon communities to which Huntington sells services such as Pea Ridge. He questioned whether a “separate public service district entity” should be explored.
Consultants from Wisconsin will be in attendance at the Monday council meeting. They have been responsible for calculating a Clean Water compliance plan.
Meanwhile, as council raised multiple how and why regarding unexplained data and conclusions, Brian Chambers , a reporter for the Herald Dispatch, told council that he had a conversation with a Sanitary Board member who indicated that the board “may” ask for a delay on these items which make up items 13 to 16 of the Monday agenda.
Expressing his concern and frustration, Dr. Calvin Kent told HNN, “the federal government is wonderful on saying you gotta do this out of your own money. Then, they dump it on the states and the states dump in on the cities. What’s particularly bad in this state is the cities are not given the financial capacity to pay for the mandates when they come down.”
The legislative record of unfunded mandates so irks Kent that he would like an opportunity to propose a state constitutional amendment: If the state thinks it’s a great program and the state has been told it’s their responsibility, then the state figures out how to pay for it, instead of telling the local governments , I don’t know how you are going to do it, but you have to do it.”
Despite the surge of questions from council members, the federal mandate to separate the city’s antiquated combination sewage/storm sewer system has been put off due to cost for more than a decade. Council member PD Adkins is on record as projecting a need for nearly $700 million dollars to fully comply with the federal and state government’s unfunded mandate to separate rain water flowing over polluted surfaces from mixing with raw sewage on its way to the Ohio River.
Since the monster increase will only be a first reading, no public comment will be allowed at the Monday, June 9 meeting of council.
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Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
