Salemburg mayor Bobby Strickland and town clerk Juanita Faircloth prepare for Thursday night’s meeting. In that meeting, the board approved its budget without a tax increase but an increase in utility rates.
Photo by Katie Holland
The exact amount of the increase will start with the service fee, which has been $8 and will now cost $9. The increase continues with the amount of water being used throughout one month. For the first 1,000 gallons used, the cost of water will be $11, which is a raise from the current $10. The increase in the amount of water will continue to rise in $1 increments depending on the amount of water used. For example, a person using 10,000 gallons will pay $29 versus $28. Also, out of town water customers will now pay $1.50 per month instead their current water rate.
Along the same lines, the amount of deposit needed to open a utility account with the town has increased from $125 to $150 for in town residents and from $75 to $100 for residents.
In the meeting, Faircloth explained that this increase was partially due to the number of customers who opened up an account and left town without paying what is left of their water bill. She established that it typically takes until the third month before water is turned off. Therefore, she encouraged the board to change the fee to allow for three months of water to be paid before water is turned on, eliminating part of the problem.
In addition to utility rate increases, the town also approved zoning fee increases. For someone wishing to have subdivision rezoned, the cost has increased from $25 to $50. In addition, the conditional use permits and parcel zoning has increased from $150 a month to $200 a month.
Faircloth established that this is in response to the rezoning of the of the food bank earlier this year, in which the cost of the advertising alone was approximately $149.
All of the board seemed to be on board with Faircloth’s explanation of the fee changes. In fact, commissioner Shirley Cooper commented, “It sounds reasonable to me.”
With this she made a motion for it to be approved, and it was seconded by Donald Nance and it was approved unanimously.
With the same degree of satisfaction, the board also approved the 2010-11 budget. Commissioner Joe Warren stated, “This is a very good budget.” He the motioned for its approval and it was seconded by Donald Nance.
Katie Holland can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 136, or by e-mail at silife@heartlandpublications.com.
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