by Trish Rudder
A Town of Bath ordinance to institute a 20% water rate increase has not yet been submitted to the state Public Service Commission (PSC) for approval yet. The ordinance, which passed a second reading on July 2, also included new charges for taps and additional services.
Councilman Greg Schene said at the July 16 council meeting that more information is needed on the capacity cost fees for new customers, and Thrasher Engineering is working on it.
Schene had said the capacity fees are paid to the water system and earmarked specifically to offset capacity-related costs, which include water filtration, installing new mains or adding booster pump stations and new water tanks to serve growth.
Rick Mayhew, Superintendent of the Berkeley Springs Water Works (BSWW), the town-owned water department, said on Friday that the current capacity fees may not cover the costs to add any new water customers that are located more than 50 yards from the water line. As a result, the town “put a hold on [the ordinance] and are taking another look,” he said.
More than 1,400 customers are using the public water system, Mayhew said.
Adjustments to the proposed water rates would have to be approved again by the Bath council before being submitted to the Public Service Commission, which regulates public utilities in West Virginia.
