Water bill hike irks residents

Mayor: Only way to make it less costly is to spend on repairs, By Terry-Ann Zander Sussex Borough — A 30 percent rate hike on his recent water and sewer bill sent Sussex Borough resident Andre Andrutchuk to the March 2 borough council meeting, where he demanded to know why. “The increases are very high; a large family could be paying $500 a quarter,” he said. Andrutchuk continued to press for answers. “Why are the water bills so high? Why are they going up again this year?” Borough officials say they have been backed into a corner, citing what they say amounts to years of neglect and failure to make repairs to deteriorating manholes and sewer lines by prior borough administrations. “Repairs are needed to correct problems that have accumulated over several years,” said Sussex Borough Mayor Chris Parrott. “We decided to fix the manholes to reduce the rain water runoff,” he added. The increased runoff is causing the borough to exceed its allocation at the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (SCMUA) and incur fines. Waiting for funding A $382,000 grant to fund these repairs from the federal Environmental Protection Agency promised in 2008 has yet to be received, prompting borough officials to borrow money in the interim to pay for the repairs. The borough is required to match 45 percent of the total project or approximately $312,545. “The money is not in hand so we need to take a loan to start the project,” Parrott added. Borough Clerk Catherine Gleason explained that the borough intends to bond for the repairs through the Loan Infrastructure Trust Program for a period of 20 years. Half of the loan will be repayable interes-free; and the balance at 1 percent interest. The borough expects to start the project later this year. Adding to the water and sewer woes are the rate increases imposed by SCMUA. In November 2009, SCMUA announced 30 percent increases in fees to Sussex Borough for using the facility. At the time, SCMUA officials cited reductions in revenue, a decrease in customer connections and an increase in debt payments as the primary reasons for the increases. It didn’t sit well with Mayor Parrott when it was announced, and it’s creating a stir with taxpayers now that the increases are taking effect. “We are working diligently to lower costs and reduce water rates,” Parrott said. “We are in the process (of) evaluating the cheapest option for treating and processing water.”