Dresden Town Supervisor, George Gang, asked that I post his letter explaining the user fee increase to residents of Sewer District # 1. The user fee jumped from $400 per house in 2016 to $600 per house in 2017. The letter had been previously emailed to all users of Sewer District # 1, who the town had an email address for.
To: Sewer District #1
Re: 2017 User Fees
I have been hearing from a few folks about the increase in User Fees the Town has levied against Sewer District #1 users. The reasons are many but the highlights are listed below.
1) The current cash balance for the district is $1004.47. This does not include any monies received for the current assessment.
2) Some unexpected expenses came up last year the biggest being the upgrading of the pump stations, the first major upgrade since its inception.
3) All of the holding tanks were going to be emptied last year but was put off until this year due to the previously mentioned unexpected costs. These costs are expected to be around $10,000 or more.
4) During an audit conducted by the Office of the State Comptroller it was highly suggested that we build up a cash reserve for emergencies.
5) We need to move forward with the move of the sewer line under the bridge. The Town was very lucky the last time the beaver dam broke and sewage did not spill into the lake. If sewage gets into the lake you will be levied $3000.00 to $5000.00 a day for fines. We are looking to get a grant to do all of this work but very often the grant includes a sharing by the Town.
6) We will be collecting around $46,000.00 in fees. Appx. $10,000.00 will go toward the tanks, $8,000.00 towards salaries and $2,500.00 towards electric bills. This will leave appx. $25,000 for both additional normal expenses and unexpected expenses. If we do not get the full grant any additional expenses for the sewer line will have to be paid by the district.
7) If these other expenses are lower than expected we may be able to lower the user fees in the future.
I hope this eases some of the pain of the increase in fees but we see it as being essential.
George (Gang)
Town Supervisor