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CHESTER -- The city officially has a new water bond.
After holding a 15-minute public hearing Wednesday, a bond ordinance was unanimously passed on a third reading. In attendance were Chester Mayor Ed Wedgewood, city Clerk Tara Ayers, three councilmen, Mike Dotson, Jason Thorn and Steve Shuman; Water Superintendent Mike Ryan, and the city's bond council. John Woodruff and Nathan Wright were absent from the meeting.
Only three Lawrenceville residents, who also acquire their water from Chester, were in attendance to ask questions before the eventual passage.
The Chester water system serves city and Lawrenceville residents. Coming is an increase of the minimum 27 percent, or $6.98 per month, to help fund the city's match for the pending upgrades to the system.
Ordinance 2024-01 authorizes payment in full of the series 2021 bond notes and create a replacement bond to finance the rest of the project up to $1.7 million.
The old bond raised $800,000 to pay for initial phase of the water project.
This new one would be 10 years in length.
Wedgewood had explained that the city originally had sought a 30-year bond but was unable to secure one. "We tried to keep it low," the mayor explained.
This is a $3.5 million project, which includes replacing all the remaining valves outside of Ward 1 that hadn't been replaced in 2020 as well as refurbishing the filtration plant, Wedgewood said. There is also plans to access the city's water aquifer under the river to expand it, which will improve the flow.
The U.S. Corps of Engineers is expected to bid out the next portion of the project out in spring.
Between the $833,333 in state funds awarded to help Chester fulfill its share of the multimillion project and the bond, the revenue should be sufficient to offset all the costs.
Chester water customers currently pay $25.87 per month for up to 3,000 gallons of water. This amount would increase to $32.85 monthly, according to Ordinance 2024-2, which saw no action on Wednesday.
Wedgewood relayed to those in attendance, "We are at the end and it couldn't come a second faster."
The special meeting adjourned at 4:48 p.m.
The next regular Chester council meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, March 4.