Minutes 12/14/1982 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~ _:__ f) TUESDAY DECEMBER 14, 1982 4. Mr. J. Burness Frith, President of Frith Construction Company and ~wner of several industrial enterprises in and near the City's Industrial Park served by the City's water system (at double the City's "inside" water rates), who maintained that the proposed water rates (plus the other charges proposed) would be a real deterrent to further development of the Industrial Park and who maintained that the City's income from the new demand charges and the fire service connection charges would be much more than was reported as estimated by the City's consulting engineers, with Mr. Frith urging that Council postpone action, as to the recommended rates and charges, pending study by industrial customers and, perhaps, an acceptable solution thereto by a joint study group (presumably, of City representatives and industry represen- tatives); 5. Mr. Jerry M. Marlow, Chief Engineer for American Furniture Company, who concurred with points made by Memorial Hospital representatives; 6. Mr. Howard White, Plant Manager of the local Bassett Furniture plant and Vice-Presidnet of Bassett Furniture Industries, who supported the position taken by Mr. Frith; and 7. Mr. E. M. Linker, Plant Engineer for Sale Knitting Company, who requested a list of the City's large water users and the sizes of the water meters serving these users, in order to ascertain the City's water utility income from proposed demand charges and fire service connection charges. After some discussion by members of Council, in which Councilman West stated that setting January 11th as the adoption date of the proposed water rate ordinance would be premature and that action by Council thereon should be preceded by conferences between the City administration, the consulting engineers, and representatives of large water users for report bac\ to Council by January or February of 1983; and, in which discussion Councilwoman Severt indicated that the City should have anticipated sooner the need for increased water rates to meet increasing expenditures in order that the current need and the projected needs would not require an increase of the magnitude proposed, Council referred the proposed water rate amendment and ordinance back to City Manager Edmonds (who pointed out that the role of the consulting engineers in this matter, charged with the sole commission to develop water rates necessary to meet pro- jected expenses, did not encompass or envision direct consultation with any of the City's