West Bountiful » City Council members thought they had solved a plumbing problem last year when they decided to increase water rates to cover the debt of making repairs to the city's pipelines.
But now, the problem is back.
West Bountiful officials decided to raise water rates incrementally from 2009 to 2013 to cover a loan that will be used to improve water lines. That bond costs the city $29,000 each month.
After the city increased water rates in June, there is still a $10,000 shortage that is being paid off by the same bond money that was meant to be used for upgrades.
"To take money out of the water bond to cover it, we're not doing ourselves any good," said Councilwoman Valerie Shaw during Tuesday's discussion.
The City Council wants to review the issue during a work session early next month, before having a public hearing for residents on the proposed solution.
While no plan was devised during Tuesday's meeting, Councilman Ken Romney, also the mayor-elect, put the issue in dollars.
"To cut to the chase," Romney said, "we were at $22 a month a year ago, we went to $30 and we're looking at $42."
Romney noted last year when the city had decided to adopt a rate increase, the larger $42 figure was considered, but was kiboshed in favor of the incremental increases of 43 percent during the course of four years.
Unfortunately, Romney said, those estimates that favored the incremental approach included under-proposed costs and overestimated revenues.
Mayor James Behunin said the problem has been several decades in the making: During the past 30 to 40 years, the city would just patch problems here and there without any long-range plan to ensure the water lines could meet the needs of the community.
"What we discovered when we looked at it," Behunin said of the current group of elected officials, "was that we've let our water system deteriorate over the years. ... For years we've not charged people enough to keep that water system up, and now we're playing catch-up."
Another factor impacting the cost, he added, is West Bountiful's large lots and people spread farther apart than in many other cities.
So there needs to be more pipes delivering water to people than in urban condensed areas, Behunin said, and that means residents have to pay more for the lengthier water system.
That's why the city developed a 20-year plan to address repairs and upgrades to keep the water system operable.
City Administrator Craig Howe said he wants the city to develop a solution by the end of the year.
He said there are many options the city could consider. One he proposed is to ease the burden on people with fixed incomes who use little water -- they could have a tiered rate that increases at a lower rate.
"We know it's painful," Howe said of a possible increase. "It's not easy to ask folks, especially in these difficult times."
