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After one year in business the Rappahannock County Water and Sewer Authority reports few operational problems, but the budget for the Sperryville sewerage plant is above the forecast and the authority has raised the rates paid by its customers.
Rates were raised from $12.85 to $14.10 per month for each Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU), effective for the billing period which began Oct. 1. The action came at the WSA meeting Oct. 6, following an advertised public hearing which drew no comment from the public.
The 9.7 percent increase is the first since the system began operation in 1986.
WSA Chairman Martin Woodard explained that the increase is necessary because the rates set by the authority when operations began were a “best guesstimate” based on projected operating costs. “We’ve wrestled with this during June and July,” the chairman said, finally choosing to advertise the proposal to increase rates as “the only way to cover our anticipated expenses.”
The increase, he added, should take care of the bulk of the budget deficit. “We don’t anticipate another increase like this,” Mr. Woodard said.
A suggestion to make the rate increase retroactive to July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year, was rejected by the authority. “I’d like to avoid that if possible,” WSA secretary James D. Swindler III said.
92.8%