Goes into effect for April bill

SOUTH POINT — The village council voted at a special meeting on Tuesday to raise the sewer rates in South Point, in order to afford needed infrastructure improvements that officials said were long overdue.

The meeting opened with a presentation from council member David Classing, who outlined an extensive list of necessary expenses and upgrades for the village’s aging water and sewer system.

Classing noted that sewer lines and manholes have been collapsing, while costs have been going up, for things such as rate hikes from American Electric Power.

Village administrator Russ McDonald, who oversees infrastructure in South Point, said mandates from the Ohio Department of Environmental Protection for a change to an ultraviolet system would also be coming and would bring higher costs.

Mayor Jeff Gaskin estimated that change could cost between $1-1.3 million.

Gaskin said the biggest issue for the village is the intrusion of stormwater into the sewer system, caused by leaking pipes.

He said the need for improvements is urgent.

“In some places, we have sewage running in the streets,” he said.

Classing estimated all upgrades and expenses would total $4-5 million over the next five years. He said the current method of financing is “not sustainable.”

He said the village had hired a firm, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, for recommendations on the matter.

RCAP is a national network of non-profit partners working to provide technical assistance, training, resources, and support to rural communities

The organization had recommended doubling rates, but, after disagreeing with data for that study, they decided on an increase of $10 a month, from a flat rate of $21.50 to $31.50.

“Is a sewer increase necessary? Yes,” Classing said. “Does it need to be doubled? No.”

He said they had worked since November to come up with an alternative.

The special meeting was a packed house and standing room only, with residents there to express their opinion.

While many said they did not want to see rates go up, most who spoke said they understood the need.

“If Russ McDonald says he needs money for something, I trust him,” Brad Runyon said.

The council voted to suspend the three-reading rule on the ordinance to raise rates, and decided to pass it at the special meeting.

Gaskin said the alternative to raising rates would be to borrow money have the state take over the system or sell the system to a private company.

He said this would not be ideal, because they would lose local control.

“We feel we want that,” he said.

He pointed out that rates in the village for water and sewer were far lower than those of surrounding systems, a sentiment many residents expressed.

“We’ve been spoiled,” one woman said of the low bills.

One resident, Charlie Withrow, asked if businesses at The Point industrial park could be charges a higher rate, and officials said this was already the case.

Some also asked about a new physical rehabilitation hospital to be built in the village and asked if they could pick up the costs on the system to meet increased demands from the facility.

The mayor said this was not the case and that he and the council did not want to lose the 150 jobs the facility would bring and have them go to another municipality.

Gaskin said a new lift station would help with those needs. 

That project, at a cost of $877,000, is being paid for in part through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission of $646,000.

Gaskin advised that this may not be the last increase in rates, as more expenses come up.

He said needed infrastructure upgrades has been neglected by many previous mayoral administrations and councils and improvements have been needed for decades.

“For 65 years, we have focused on cheap and used, abused and patched the system,” he said. “The focus was on lower rates and we have had lower rates. Now the focus is on repairs.”

He said this was a decision that was arrived at after much consideration.

“The six people here don’t take any of this lightly,” he said of the council. “They agonize over these decisions for months.”

Customers on the Solida Road system, which is newer, were already at a $31.50 rate and will have an increase to $41.50 a month under the new plan, Gaskin said.

The special meeting only addressed setting the sewer rates for the village, as this was the only thing listed on the agenda announcing the session.