(12/8) In spite of the best efforts of the town staff to lucidly convey the actual impact of a proposed water rate increase over a three year period on the typical Emmitsburg home owner’s quarterly water & sewer bill, their efforts fell on deft ears at a public hearing during the December Town Council meeting.

The much needed rate increase, the town staff said, would cover the rise in day-to-day operating expenses, plus fund much needed water system infrastructure improvement projects.

At the November meeting, the Council voted to phase in the staff’s proposed rate increase over a three-year time period versus an immediate increase. Member of the council said given that times are tough for many, they didn’t want to make things worse for the residents by imposing the full rate increase all at once. However, prior to approving the rate change, the Council opted to hold a public hearing.

While the approximately 200% increase may seem huge, less then 17% of a homeowners quarterly bill would be subject to the rate increase. Phased in over three years, as the town staff suggested, the average Emmitsburg homeowner would see their water portion of their bill increase by only $19.40, or $6 a month in 2023.

Even when fully phased in 2027, the water portion of the quarterly bill would not even equal what homeowners pay today for their sewer service.

The last water rate increase was over 14 years ago, while the last sewer rate increase was in 2015, following the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant, Town Manager Cathy Willets said.

Because of the 2015 sewer rate increase, the sewer system has been running in the ‘black’ for the last few budget years, so the proposed increase in the sewer rates for the average homeowner is not as extreme, a modest 3% per year.

The need to increase water rates has become critical as the water system has been running ‘in the red’ for many years now, Willets said. The town has been able to deal with water revenue deficits by reducing expenditures, such as not performing needed infrastructure improvement projects. But the town can no longer delay repairs and upgrades to the water system, Willets said.

The five-year water system plan, which the rate increase will fund, includes water clarifiers and repairs or replacement of deteriorating water lines that have caused issues such as brown water coming out of resident’s faucets.

In spite of the efforts by the town to alert residents to the rate increase, and afford them the opportunity to provide input, few showed up, drawing comments from those that did on the lack of interest. "Sadly, when it comes to issues like this a lot of people wait until the problem has already snowballed out of control and been announced and then complain," said one speaker.

Following public comments and commissioner discussion, the council opted not to approve the published increase in the water rates.

Instead, the Council asked the town staff to bring another proposal to the January’s Town Council meeting. The new numbers will include a 10% increase, every year for 10 year (suggested by Commissioner Davis), and a 25% and 30% increase over 3 years as apposed to the original 44% over three years.