Rate increases rule Roachdale meeting

ROACHDALE -- At its monthly meeting, the Roachdale Town Council discussed rate increases, necessary town repairs and passed a noise ordinance.

Water and sewage rates for the Town of Roachdale will be increasing this year in order to stave off the loss of money that the town suffers from its current utility costs.

According to the board, this will be the first time in eight years that a utility rate increase has been enacted.

In order to ease the cost increase, the council approved a staggered roll-out of the new rates.

What the decision means for Roachdale utility users is a 54.2 percent increase in water rates and a 50.8 percent increase in sewage rates that will be enacted, roughly, every other month.

The water increase will be split into two 26.1 percent increases, with February being the first increase date and April being the second.

As for sewage rates, the first 25.4 percent increase will be enacted in March with the second installment coming in June.

Those with questions about the increases may contact the Town of Roachdale by telephone at 522-1532 or online at www.townofroachdale.org.

Meanwhile, an anonymous donation for $1,000 was made to help with the process of enacting animal control and the eventual reopening of the Putnam County Humane Society. Although the donation was apparently made several months ago, the board approved its acceptance and discussed the animal control project.

Board member Zach Bowers expressed concern over the level of attention he fears will be given by an animal control officer that will also be a merit deputy.

"I don't think these persons need to be merit deputies," Bowers told the board, explaining that it seems all too possible for the person to become more interested in being a deputy than in enforcing animal control, the entire reason for the positions being created in the first place.

Bowers fears that the Humane Society and the county may not receive the depth of services they are expecting if there are not some checks and balances as the new positions roll out.

Town Marshal Mike Mahoy acknowledged the concerns of Bowers and said that the new roles will require some fleshing out.

"It's a system that is going to have to work itself out," he told the board.

The board approved the donation and agreed to keep an eye on the new animal control positions.

Not wanting to spend town funds, especially with rate increases on the horizon, the board reluctantly approved spending $14,806 to replace and purchase parts necessary to maintain the town's water and sewage lines.

After much consideration, the threat of potentially large-scale damage associated with putting off the purchases was too large to ignore.

Several other repairs and purchases for water and sewage were discussed but, without an immediate risk, the board decided to wait to make those purchase.

The board outlined provisions for a new ordinance to help with the constant issue of property cleanups. The new ordinance will see the town charging property owners for the cost of cleaning up properties that do not heed the repeated warnings of the town and Marshal Mahoy.

The charges will include fees of $50 per hour for labor; $90 per hour for the use of a tractor or backhoe; $60 per hour for use of a dump truck; $75 per hour for mowing and related services; and $40 per hour to rake, weed, shovel and perform related yard work.

Fees will be assessed in one-hour increments, so a job that takes 1 hour and 10 minutes will result in being charged for a full two hours.

The fee assessment schedule and high costs associated with labor and tools is meant to discourage property owners from ignoring the repeated warnings from the town.

The town passed a noise ordinance that will fine violators $25 for the first offense, $50 for a second and $75 for all following offenses.

Quiet times have been established as Sunday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and have been extended from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Exceptions can be made to this to this ordinance for special events through submission and approval of the town council.

Town council meetings are held at the Roachdale Town Hall on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m.