This meeting will allow for the discussion of a water rate increase for Pineville Utilities. Carryn Lee, with the Kentucky Rural Water Association, will present a water rate proposal to the board and the council. This presentation will be followed by general discussion of the proposal. The board and council will not allow public input at this time; a public hearing will be held at a later date.
This meeting follows months of discussion by the Pineville Utility Commission concerning the need for a rate increase. Recently, the Pineville Utility Commission's contract with Kentucky American Water ended. In the regular Tuesday meeting, Manager Bill Bunch presented a letter to the Board that they, in turn, approved by unanimous vote. The letter was directed to Kentucky American Water President, Nick Rowe, and was an outline of the Pineville Utility Commission's intent to pay their debt of $371,970. In the letter, Bunch indicated that the Commission hopes to pay the entire debt, in installments, by June 30, 2007. However, he addressed the board quite frankly, “I think that without the rate increase, there will be absolutely no way to get this paid in a timely manner.”
Manager Bill Bunch is paying bills, but he says that with only about $120,000 in actual water revenue per month, the Utility is strapped for cash. He spoke with his board of directors about the cash concerns on Tuesday, “You can see by looking at the Water utility invoices awaiting funds for payment list that we are experiencing quite a cash crunch here.” The list of unpaid items comes to a grand total of more than $427,000.
The Pineville Utility Commission voted for the second time on Tuesday to keep Bill Bunch in place as their general manager. An upcoming official vote on the terms of his employment should be expected.
Brandy L. Murray is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. She can be reached via e-mail at bmurray@middlesborodailynews.com.
Post a Comment
