The Turkey Board of Commissioners discusses matters during its regular monthly meeting.
                                 Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent

The Turkey Board of Commissioners discusses matters during its regular monthly meeting.

Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent

TURKEY — The town board voted recently to raise water rates in the town, a response to a recent study

“We had on the agenda from a couple of months ago that we were going to talk about the rate study,” Turkey Mayor Max Pope said. “And, the bottom line is we have to decide whether or not we are going to raise the water rates. They’ve been constant for so long and they can remain constant on and on and on. It’s up to you.”

By the end of discussion, the board approved of a $2.50 monthly increase for the residents of Turkey, which will go into effect on bills in July. The initial increase was proposed for $5 a month, but the board opted for half that, with the option to revisit the rate increase in the following year to determine whether another $2.50 increase — to $5 — will be necessary.

There are currently 136 residents that this increase will affect, with 10-12 of those being outside Turkey who will pay double.

The reason why a rate increase was even on the table came from multiple factors, one of the main reasons being that the water rate for Turkey has been unchanged for the past three years. That last hike was 3 percent.

The second reason is that Turkey is operating below the state minimum requirement for revenue from rates by about $8,000, according to town officials. The needed total for this year was $76,490, and $78,107 for next fiscal year. The town’s recently-approved budget for 2021-22 totals approximately $70,000 in such estimated revenue.

Turkey town officials also highlighted that the water system is 45 years old and, should a major problem occur, the town would need the funds to deal with that emergency.

“We’ve got a water system that we are very blessed with and that it’s operating the way it is with how old is it now,” Commissioner Tony Moore said. “And, we only have like 60-something thousand in the water fund. If we had a serious issue to happen, we could be looking at thousands of dollars in repairs.”

“We’ve got to try to build something up in case, God forbid, something happens,” he added.

Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-592-8137, ext. 2588. Follow us on Twitter @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.