By Hannah Woosley, Sierra McLean and Al Cross
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
Mayor Grayson Vandegrift plans to ask the City Council to give the city's sewer customers a Christmas present: a 25 percent reduction in the city's sewer fee.
Vandegrift made the announcement today, after distributing figures at Monday night's City Council meeting showing that the balance in the sewer fund is "rising very steadily." He told council members that he would "be talking to each of you individually, but I’m of the opinion we can have the first reading of [an ordinance] lowering sewer rates the first Monday in December."
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, Vandegrift said in an email to the Messenger and The Woodford Sun, "We’re going to go ahead and put 25 percent sewer-rate cuts into ordinance form and schedule for first reading on Dec. 3 and second reading Dec. 17. It’s become apparent, and I’m very confident, that with the sewer fund rapidly improving and our new revenue coming in, which is expected to continue to grow itself, we can both cut rates and make major investments in infrastructure."
Vandegrift told the Messenger Tuesday night that he did not talk to all the council members before making the decision: "After the meeting I felt that wouldn’t seem right. I did speak to a few, individually, but didn’t try to get a consensus much more than those I spoke with felt that this council should be the one to decide, which I agree with." Three council seats will change hands Jan. 1.
The sewer fund is growing because it no longer has one big expense: payments on the bonds the city issued to build its current wastewater treatment plant. At Vandegrift's request, the council voted in July to dip into the city's savings to pay off the bond issue early. He said the city was paying more interest on the bonds, 3.8 percent, than it earned from the $285,490 certificate of deposit it cashed, 0.6 percent. Vandegrift said at the time that the move should lead to lowering sewer fees by “at least 25 percent . . . in a few months.”
Sidewalk redux: The council voted 5-0 to renew the program it started last year, paying half the cost, up to $1,000, of repairing selected sidewalks. Property owners will apply to be part of the program, pay the full cost, then be reimbursed. Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher abstained, saying, "I've got a dog in this fight." Her sidewalk on West Main Street needs repair or replacement.
Last year, due to budget limitations, only three owners were funded for repair of five sidewalks, and the plan “worked very well,” Vandegrift said. “It wasn’t a huge number, but it was sidewalks that hadn’t been fixed in a very long time. This showed us that we can do it on a larger scale.”
Vandegrift said he wants residents to apply if they believe their sidewalks need repairs. He said letters will be sent in February to those who have sidewalks that need repair but haven’t signed up. The sign-up deadline will be March 31. If residents who need sidewalk repairs haven’t signed up by this date, they will be required to bear all costs to repair their sidewalks, he said.
The mayor also said residents who own blighted or abandoned property or have not paid their taxes are ineligible to participate in the cost-sharing program.
Council Member Steve Simoff asked Vandegrift how the city will prioritize repairs. He said Winter Street should have priority, especially due to the busy Halloween traffic, “simply for safety reasons.” Vandegrift agreed, saying that they will look to frequently walked streets first.
The mayor said that eventually, repairs on old streets such as Winter will require tearing up old trees. Council Member Sara Hicks noted that the city has a tree plan that could guide replacement work.
Citizen’s petition: Rex Cecil, who owns the vacant building at 123 E. Main St., asked the council to consider a variance in its policy for restoring water service to properties that have not been active for five years.
Building extension request: Greg Rawlings requested an encroachment permit for an addition to the house at 400 S. Winter St. that would need an entrance for parking. Rawlings said the property was originally platted for townhouses but will remain a single-family residence. The council approved the permit 6-0.
Traffic update: Vandegrift said edge lines and center lines will be painted on Stephens Street when the weather stays consistently warm. He said he will include in the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 money to build sidewalk bulb-outs at the Winter Street intersections of Bruen Street (the post office) and Stephens. Bulb-outs are designed to make streets narrower, create more space designated for pedestrians, and discourage speeding.
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
Mayor Grayson Vandegrift plans to ask the City Council to give the city's sewer customers a Christmas present: a 25 percent reduction in the city's sewer fee.
Vandegrift made the announcement today, after distributing figures at Monday night's City Council meeting showing that the balance in the sewer fund is "rising very steadily." He told council members that he would "be talking to each of you individually, but I’m of the opinion we can have the first reading of [an ordinance] lowering sewer rates the first Monday in December."
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, Vandegrift said in an email to the Messenger and The Woodford Sun, "We’re going to go ahead and put 25 percent sewer-rate cuts into ordinance form and schedule for first reading on Dec. 3 and second reading Dec. 17. It’s become apparent, and I’m very confident, that with the sewer fund rapidly improving and our new revenue coming in, which is expected to continue to grow itself, we can both cut rates and make major investments in infrastructure."
Vandegrift told the Messenger Tuesday night that he did not talk to all the council members before making the decision: "After the meeting I felt that wouldn’t seem right. I did speak to a few, individually, but didn’t try to get a consensus much more than those I spoke with felt that this council should be the one to decide, which I agree with." Three council seats will change hands Jan. 1.
The sewer fund is growing because it no longer has one big expense: payments on the bonds the city issued to build its current wastewater treatment plant. At Vandegrift's request, the council voted in July to dip into the city's savings to pay off the bond issue early. He said the city was paying more interest on the bonds, 3.8 percent, than it earned from the $285,490 certificate of deposit it cashed, 0.6 percent. Vandegrift said at the time that the move should lead to lowering sewer fees by “at least 25 percent . . . in a few months.”
 |
| West Main Street in 2015 |
Last year, due to budget limitations, only three owners were funded for repair of five sidewalks, and the plan “worked very well,” Vandegrift said. “It wasn’t a huge number, but it was sidewalks that hadn’t been fixed in a very long time. This showed us that we can do it on a larger scale.”
Vandegrift said he wants residents to apply if they believe their sidewalks need repairs. He said letters will be sent in February to those who have sidewalks that need repair but haven’t signed up. The sign-up deadline will be March 31. If residents who need sidewalk repairs haven’t signed up by this date, they will be required to bear all costs to repair their sidewalks, he said.
The mayor also said residents who own blighted or abandoned property or have not paid their taxes are ineligible to participate in the cost-sharing program.
Council Member Steve Simoff asked Vandegrift how the city will prioritize repairs. He said Winter Street should have priority, especially due to the busy Halloween traffic, “simply for safety reasons.” Vandegrift agreed, saying that they will look to frequently walked streets first.
The mayor said that eventually, repairs on old streets such as Winter will require tearing up old trees. Council Member Sara Hicks noted that the city has a tree plan that could guide replacement work.
Citizen’s petition: Rex Cecil, who owns the vacant building at 123 E. Main St., asked the council to consider a variance in its policy for restoring water service to properties that have not been active for five years.
Cecil said he closed his architectural practice that was in the building in 2005, and he turned the water off in 2009. He said he wants to sell or rent the property, but “Since it’s been more than five years, it’s $850” to do that, he said.
Vandegrift said he would refer the matter to the council's Public Works and Services Committee.
Vandegrift said he would refer the matter to the council's Public Works and Services Committee.
 |
| 400 S. Winter St. (Photo from Google Maps street view, 2015) |
Traffic update: Vandegrift said edge lines and center lines will be painted on Stephens Street when the weather stays consistently warm. He said he will include in the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 money to build sidewalk bulb-outs at the Winter Street intersections of Bruen Street (the post office) and Stephens. Bulb-outs are designed to make streets narrower, create more space designated for pedestrians, and discourage speeding.
Holiday schedule: The council also discussed the upcoming holiday-season events. On Friday, the tree- and street-lighting ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Santa Claus will be visiting via RJ Corman Railroad at 11 a.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment