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Sewer rates could increase in Winona Lake by as much as 60 percent and 10 percent in Warsaw if the city council decides to approve a proposed sewer rate ordinance.
Part of Monday's Warsaw City Council meeting was dedicated to a public hearing on an ordinance establishing new rates and charges for the sewer services. No action was taken.
Todd Samuelson, of Umbaugh and Associates, Plymouth, went before the council with an explanation of the service study for Warsaw's municipal sewer works and suggested the city raise its rates for residents and businesses in the Warsaw and Winona Lake areas.
The proposed ordinance would include a 60-percent increase in its applicable rate for Winona Lake, where Warsaw residential, commercial and industrial customers of Warsaw would only see a sewer rate increase of 10 percent.
Winona Lake residents currently pay $35 a month for sewer rates, but that would increase to $50 a month if the proposed sewer rates are approved.
Rolly Ortega, Winona Lake Town Council president, attended the meeting and read a letter expressing his concerns with the proposed sewer rate increase for Winona Lake.
"The current proposed Winona Lake treatment rate would no longer represent a fair and equitable charge for the services being required or provided to Winona Lake," Ortega said.
He said Winona Lake would be treated as if it were similar to the many individual residential, commercial and industrial customers that reside in the city limits of Warsaw, when Winona Lake is not in the limits.
"Winona Lake has always and will always take full responsibility for the collection of its wastewater flow and delivery of this flow for treatment to Warsaw and the administration necessary for the efficient and safe operation of its system," Ortega said.
Winona Lake council members Dave Delp, Joy Lohse and Retha Hicks also attended the meeting.
The Warsaw City Council also:
• Approved an activity report from the Warsaw Fire Department for July. The department had 86 runs in July. Other activities included five station tours and safety talks, providing fire and rescue coverage for four events at the county fair and six education training programs for school drivers education classes.
• Approved an additional appropriation of $157,000 for the cumulative capital development fund taken by the Warsaw Civil City taxing unit.
• Approved a salary ordinance for Warsaw. The ordinance states that those who are employed as a result of a written agreement between a school system and the city of Warsaw should be compensated at minimum wage.
• Tabled an intergovernmental emergency mutual aid agreement with Columbia City, Goshen, Plymouth and Wabash. The agreement includes Warsaw participating in using a list of available equipment and rates that have been provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Approved an application for an amendment statement of benefits for Instrumedical Technologies Inc. In July 1998, the Warsaw City Council approved granting a tax abatement for Instru-Med.
During the tax abatement certification process this year, it was discovered that the company had exceeded the estimated machinery cost listed on the statement of benefits. The applicant has extended the money and hired the number of employees as estimated in the original amendment.
• Carmen Lock, executive director of the Warsaw Community Development Corp., said she hopes to present a petition to stop skateboarders from waxing the wall at National City and skateboarding along it.
Councilmen are Mayor Ernie Wiggins, Joe Thallemer, Jerry Patterson, Charles Smith, Bob Morrison, George Clemens, Jeff Grose and Bill Rhoades.
