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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The Finance and Utilities committees of the East Liverpool City Council met jointly Tuesday to discuss several issues.
The finance committee met to discuss putting an ordinance before the council for passage on the Dresden Avenue paving project, for which a special meeting of council was held immediately after to vote on.
The committee discussed that the project was paving only, and no water line replacement was included.
Council member and finance committee Chair Fred Rayl said that that would somehow need to be corrected, that to do resurfacing on a road where water lines had been suspect for some time means they need to come up with a way to finance new water lines.
Planning Director William Cowan said funding for that isn't available with the project funding and it would be up to the city to come up with the funds to pay for that.
Safety/Service Director David Dawson said it would be almost $1 million to replace those water lines.
Rayl said they need a water rate increase, grants or somehow come up with a plan to replace the water lines when the streets are resurfaced.
The committee voted to send the paving project legislation to council, who with an all-in-favor vote approved the ordinance in a special meeting immediately following.
The utilities committee was present to discuss the water intake and solar panel installation plans at the water treatment plant, incinerator department issues and the purchase and selling of equipment.
Dawson spoke on the water intake replacements and said it would be done in two phases. The first would be the intake at Johnson Street and the second phase would be running a cast iron line from there 550 feet to the plant. The two projects combined would cost a little over $7 million. The city has received approximately $2.7 million for the intake. The first phase will cost about $32 million.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants this project to start within the next five years and be completed within the next 10. The EPA has approved phase one but with two restrictions: they must receive a letter stating that the city will have no obstructions with the water plant for the new line and that they have a funding schedule in place.
Dawson suggested taking money from a water rate increase to put toward the project.
"Water rates are really something that is going to have be considered among all of council," Dawson said.
He suggested instead of hitting residents with a high increase at once, starting low and getting the board of public utilities and having them look over the projects that need done and then evaluate where the rates need to be down the road.
Dawson's proposal is to start with a rate increase of $1.75 per 1,000 gallons with $1 going toward wherever the council specifies it needs to go to; 50 cents can go toward phase two of the project, which would show money being put aside for it; and then 25 cents would go toward a future meter program.
Discussion around avoiding any obstruction at the plant centered around concern over the Scout Solar project planned for a plant. Scout Solar representatives were present and stated they have already obtained approval from the EPA to for the project.
The utilities committee is considering several resolutions, one for seeking bids for a provider of a compactor, dumpster and refuse and recycling hauling services and another for the for the sale of the city's 2019 International roll-off hoist truck, a roll off hoist and four roll-off containers.
All the goods and services listed would have to be put for bid.
No action was taken by the utilities committee.