by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
White Stone Town Council last Thursday unanimously passed a mandatory rate resolution for phase one of its public sewer project.
Councilman William Hubbard made a motion to approve the resolution in order to comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s letter of conditions. The resolution was required as part of the federal grant and loan funding for the project.
The resolution set a flat rate user fee schedule of $40 per month for residential home users and for apartment/town home users. Tier one commercial users will pay $100 and tier II commercial users will pay $200. A $20 per month fee was set for unimproved parcels.
According to town manager Patrick Frere, those monthly fees are the maximum which would be imposed. The resolution states “the Town Council of White Stone also recognizes that these fees could be lowered if projected construction costs come in under budget; if more users sign up for Phase I than were originally projected; and if the Town of White Stone is able to reduce [operations and maintenance] costs.”
The adopted fee schedule assures the projected revenues from the phase one sewage system will cover the projected cost of debt service payments, as well as operations and maintenance costs.
Drew Hubbard seconded the motion, which passed 4-0 with votes from W. Hubbard, D. Hubbard, Irving Brittingham and Paul Elbourn. Council member Melinda George Sliakis was absent and councilman Ran Reeves arrived late to the meeting.
In other action, council approved a request from Dominion Energy Inc. to use the Town Hall, 433 Rappahannock Drive, White Stone, for a public meeting August 21. Dominion will install cables under the Rappahannock River from Middlesex to Lancaster counties. A transition station will be erected where the underground cables come onto land, said Frere. Although the station will be outside of White Stone town limits, Dominion representatives requested a public meeting place near the site, he added. Representatives will discuss the transition station.
Council also voted unanimously, 3-0, to donate $270, divided into three monthly payments of $90, to the White Stone Coyotes, a youth football league using town property for practices and games. The donation would help cover the costs of a having a portable toilet on the property during the season, August through October. Money for various donations is included in the yearly budget, said Frere.
Elbourn and Brittingham forwarded the motion. It passed, 3-0, with W. Hubbard abstaining because he is involved with the Coyotes organization.
