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Atchison Commissioners Approve Utility Rate Increases

By David Meyer

12/18/2012

(KAIR) -- In a meeting that was short but long on agenda items, Atchison City Commissioners Monday night unanimously approved water and sewer rate increases effective on January’s bill.

Water rates will go up six percent initially.

Finance Director and Assistant City Manager Becky Swain says that will equate to an average of a two dollar and two cent increase for water a month and a dollar 14 a month for sewer.

Wastewater rates are expected to go up five percent.

These increases are attributed to the funding of new water storage facilities and the KDHE mandated improvements to combined sewer overflow.

City Manager Trey Cocking describes how those mandates effect wastewater funding.

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He then gave commissioners two options on how these dollars could be collected so rates wouldn’t have to go above the current percentage increase in the future on utility bills.

(Audio Continues) RT: :19

Cocking then explains a second option.

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He then addressed the importance of having withheld monies on hand that have been at the center of controversy over the last few weeks on the county level.

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Commissioners also unanimously appointed Harry Heflin to the Library Board and James Bartlett to the Park Board and appointed Melissa Hartman four to zero to the Planning Commission with Commissioner Rita Hartman abstaining.

They also approved the payment of 141 thousand 345 dollars to KMIT for workers comp, which was six percent over what was initially budgeted.

They also unanimously denied a re-zoning request from Ian Billings to turn a single-family residence into a duplex at 1612 Commercial Street.

Mayor Allen Reavis says even though some zones in the past have been “mistakenly” re-zoned for that purpose, he also says the lot is too small to make that feasible.

Commissioners also approved a bid from Walters Morgan Construction to replace wastewater scum skimmers at 62 thousand 200 dollars.

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