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Written by Brian McCauley
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Wednesday, 12 August 2009 07:00 |
Emotions spilled over last week during another lengthy discussion about the Marais des Cygnes Public Utility Authority and its impact on Paola water rates in the future.
Paola City Council members and other city officials met in a work session Aug. 4 with Louis Funk of Bartlett & West Engineers, which is the company that designed the joint water project between Paola and Louisburg.
The main issue on the table was whether Paola would consider selling water to Miami County Rural Water District No. 1 for less than the city would be buying its water from the PUA. If Paola can keep the rural water district as a customer, future rate increases for Paola water customers will not be as dramatic, according to numbers provided by Paola City Manager Jay Wieland.
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News
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Written by Brian McCauley
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Wednesday, 12 August 2009 07:00 |
Paola residents may have noticed some changes in their water’s appearance during the past few weeks, but Paola Public Works officials are assuring customers that everything is normal and safe.
City personnel, specifically water plant operator Charlie Campbell and Public Works Director Gerry Bieker, have been working to update Paola’s water system to accommodate the needs of the new Marais des Cygnes Public Utility Authority.
Pressure-reducing valves and other additions ensure that the system will work efficiently.
Many pipelines were flushed, and water was pushed in a different direction than previously done in order to shut down Paola’s plant and switch to water being purchased through an interconnect with Miami County Rural Water District No. 2. Bieker said during that process, some water may have been discolored or have had an unusual odor or taste, but it has been closely monitored and always has been safe to drink.
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News
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Written by Brian McCauley
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Wednesday, 05 August 2009 07:00 |
Paola officials have mapped out a tight budget for 2010, and things may get even tighter next year.
After several work sessions, during which officials crunched numbers to save jobs and keep the mill levy steady to not increase the burden on the taxpayers, Paola City Council members approved the publication of the proposed 2010 budget during their July 28 meeting.
The budget includes a proposed mill levy of 40.371, the same as last year. The mill levy helps determine at what rate a city resident pays property taxes, but whether or not a resident pays higher taxes than last year will depend on the assessed valuation of their property.
Residents can comment on the budget during a public hearing set for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Paola Justice Center, 805 N. Pearl St. Now that the proposed budget has been published, it can be reduced, but it cannot be increased. The approved city budget for 2010 must be sent to the county by Aug. 25.
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News
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Written by Brian McCauley
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Wednesday, 05 August 2009 07:00 |
The stress of rising water rates in Paola reached a boiling point during the Paola City Council meeting last week.
City officials have planned for rate increases since the beginning of the joint water plant project with the city of Louisburg, but a review of the numbers over the past few months has begun to give the officials a clearer picture of just how drastic those rate increases will need to be.
In July, the city increased the water monthly usage fee from $4 per thousand gallons used to $5 and increased the debt service fee from $12 per month to $14. But it was just the first of several planned rate increases over the next several years to offset the debt from the more-than-$30-million water project with Louisburg, which includes the construction of a water plant along the Marais des Cygnes River.
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News
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Written by Brian McCauley
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Wednesday, 05 August 2009 07:00 |
Drivers may not have to deal with stop signs on Baptiste drive at the U.S. Highway 169 interchange after all.
Miami County Engineer Penny Evans previously had said a three-way stop would be set up to help alleviate the back up on the northbound U.S. 169 off ramp onto Baptiste Drive on school day mornings. The back up was experienced during the final couple of weeks in the school year last year once the Bull Creek Bridge project started.
The project is not slated to be complete until next May, and officials are worried that the traffic will become an issue again once school starts.
Paola Police Chief Dave Smail said during the July 28 Paola City Council meeting that once the department realized the issue last year, he made sure an officer was stationed on site in the morning to direct traffic. Smail said he was confident his officers could handle the situation again this year, and the council members agreed that the officers are a better solution than creating new traffic issues throughout the day with stop signs when the traffic problem is only for a couple of hours in the morning.
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