The Jefferson street/water and sanitation/sewer committees met Tuesday for their regular monthly meeting.

A resident addressed the water committee about excessive water and sewer usage at his residence in the 400 block of West State Street. The resident claimed there was an issue of higher than normal water consumption for the last two months, going from an average of 200-215 gallons to 1,670 in October and 4,920 gallons in November. Water Superintendent Tom Schilling said he inspected the situation and when he turned off a valve in the exterior water spigot, the meter quit running. However, the resident’s sewer usage was also very high, from an average cost of $23.49 to $310 last month and $104 from October. The committee decided to forgive the sewer overages if the resident submitted a letter asking to do so, as per the City’s policy.  

The water committee then addressed a policy of minimum charges on inaccessible and unoccupied or abandoned properties. The issue the City has is when they lean a property for monthly minimum water charges on these properties, they continue to accumulate, but the meter is also degrading over time. The committee decided to change the ordinance so that the City could lean the property for a maximum of three months for minimum water overages and the cost for the meter so that the City could repossess the meter.

Following a discussion, the water committee agreed to propose to the city council to have electronic panels replaced at the water plant in this fiscal year for an amount not to exceed $80,000. The council will make the final decision at a future meeting. 

The streets committee discussed a street light at the southwest base of the Highway 4 overpass bridge. A business owner asked about installing a street light, due to it being too dark at night. However, since the business owner was absent from the meeting, the committee wanted further discussion before making a decision. 

Finally, each public works department went through its major expenses for the 2022 fiscal year. The water department is looking at $80,000 to chlorine the City’s wells and replace softener equipment. The streets department will need to replace two dump truck boxes for $40,000 and purchase a gravel bucket for a payloader. The sewer department will need a lawn mower and a grinder for a lift station, for a total of $30,000.