The Elizabethtown City Council met for a work session Monday evening.
City Director of Wastewater Treatment Corey Bond presented to the council on his department’s annual report. Bond said the wastewater treatment plant treated 2.5 billion gallons of water last year, an average of about 7 million gallons a day which puts the facility at about 54 percent operating capacity. As the city prepares for an expansion to the facility to cover increased growth, the city is preparing for a cost increase.
“With that expansion, we conducted a rate study last year, and we will be bringing that forward to you probably in early March or April to look at the rates and probably increase the rates for sewer in the city, and hopefully to take effect by July,” Bond said.
City Administrator Ed Poppe said the city will be proposing an update to the city’s change order policy, under which the city would seek council approval for increases over 15 percent for projects under $1.5 million and 10 percent for projects over that amount. Poppe said the city will still keep the council up to date on the progress of projects.
“This is not an effort to not communicate or not inform the council, or not to do things with the public, but just based on what we’re seeing for increasing cost and the ability to keep projects moving we would like to change those levels,” Poppe said.
City Executive Assistant Jodi Thompson said the review team tasked with selecting a new website provider for the city has selected Revize as their recommendation. Thompson and Priscilla Scarborough with the city’s events staff said the new website allows for functionality the current website does not possess such as accepting payments, scheduling parks and rec reservations, an e-newsletter, and text alerts. Thompson also said the new website would be more user-friendly and easier to keep updated.
The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet February 3.
