Water district rates are on the rise in Lysander.
Town engineer Al Yager said at the Dec. 15 meeting that the town must increase its rates because it’s losing money on the current rates. Three of the town’s water districts have fund balances in the red, and Lysander has yet to address needed improvements to the water system.
“This has been a long time coming, and it’s something that needed to be addressed,” Yager said of the rate increase.
The town pays the village of Baldwinsville $12.50 per 1,000 cubic feet (cf) of water for the districts of Clinton Heights, River Mist, Seneca Estates, Emerick Heights, West Genesee Road and Oswego Road.
Additionally, the town pays a quarterly $152.25 administrative fee for the districts, except for Oswego Road (which is exempt from this administrative fee) and Seneca Estates, which is charged two administrative fees per quarter.
In addition to those fees, the town must also pay for meter reading, repairs, water sampling, engineering time, postage and locating utilities before digging.
On top of those costs, Yager said updates are badly needed in all of the water districts, namely the replacement of meters, water mains and valves, as well as flushing hydrants and exercising valves.
He said with the water system’s aging infrastructure, more repairs will be expected in the years to come.
Emerick Heights, West Genesee Road and Seneca Estates all have negative fund balances.
In 2014, Seneca Estates has experienced a net loss of 4 percent, Clinton Heights has lost 8.8 percent, River Mist has lost 1.3 percent, West Genesee has lost 6.9 percent and Oswego Road has lost 10.8 percent.
Emerick Heights has gained 1.2 percent, but its fund balance remains $358.60 in the red.
“Our older water districts are showing more loss than our newer water districts,” Yager noted. “We believe this is because the meters in those older districts … are pushing 30, 40 years old and they’ve never been replaced.”
Yager said the town’s meters are mechanical, whereas radio water meters have been the industry standard for about 20 years now.
Yager said 450 meters in the town need to be replaced, which will cost $168,750.
The town will bond the cost of the repairs over 10 years with a 4 percent interest rate.
The new water district rates will cover the cost of repairs.
Effective in October of this year, the new fee structure standardizes water district rates.
Residents must pay a base fee of $14.21 per quarter and $11.20 per 1,000 cubic feet of water.
Those who live in an Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) water district pay a base fee of $37.50 per quarter and $18.90 per 1,000 cubic feet for the first 1,300 cubic feet.
For the next 1,700 cubic feet, OCWA customers pay $24.90 per 1,000 cubic feet and for usage over 3,000 cubic feet, the rate is $31 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The town does not have control over OCWA rates.
Yager said the new rate structure would not affect the proposed Lamson Road water district, as it will be an OCWA district.
