Council increases cemetery fees; waste water rates could be next

Sep 11, 2009 (Daily Iowegian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- OALD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The Centerville City Council Tuesday night voted to increase Oakland Cemetery plot fees and to hold a public hearing to consider increasing waste water rates by $20 per month.

The council voted 5-0 to hold the hearing at its next meeting on Sept. 21. On the table is the possibility the city will increase the current $13.05 waste water fee to $33.05. And connected users not located within the city limits would pay a 100 percent surcharge, up from the current 75 percent surcharge they now pay.

The increase is needed so the city the next three years can pay for the loan to rehab 32 miles of sewer line and 793 manholes.

"This fee is going to cover the loan payments. This project, we've applied for a grant and loan money from the USDA, and we feel that they are going to come back and tell us that we're going to have to raise our rates in order to have either one," Centerville City Clerk Kris May said. "So at this point...we did the figuring on this, and borrowing the money we're looking at about $2.5 million a year for the next three years, and a loan of anywhere from 20 to 25 years."

The thought of increasing the waste water rate by $20 per month didn't sit very well with Councilman Kris Koestner. He pointed out it was a non-funded federal government mandate to the states to upgrade sewers.

"In order to satisfy Congress and the EPA, which Washington is making us to do this, we have to do this," Koestner said. "Every community in the Midwest will have to do this, sooner or later."

In other action, the council revisited Quick Shop Foods' first tobacco violation and by a 4-1 vote decided to assess the $300 civil penalty. Voting to assess were Bill McAfee, Wallace "Moe" Carter, Koestner and Rob Lind; voting against was Mike Zintz.

The argument Carter and McAfee offered at the Aug. 17 council meeting was picked up by Koestner Tuesday night when he said it wouldn't be fair to other businesses that violated the tobacco regulation and paid the fine to dismiss the fine against Quick Shop Foods.

The council had to go back to the issue after it was learned Mayor Marsha Mitchell's vote to break the tie created when Lind and Zintz voted to dismiss the civil penalty for a first violation and Carter and McAfee voted to assess the $300 fine on Aug. 17 was not authorized.

In a related matter, the council voted 5-0 to retain the right to pursue and prosecute tobacco violations rather than have the state Attorney General's office pursue the violations. Since 2001, Centerville has collected approximately $6,000 for tobacco violations, Koestner said.

The council voted 5-0 to pass a resolution increasing Memorial first, second and third addition Oakland Cemetery grave fees from $300 to $400 and plots in the Shanahan Addition from $600 to $700. The resolution also increases deed fees, lot fees in the Mausoleum section and institutes a $50 Centerville Police Department funeral escort fee. All non-residents, except for those who had to move away to reside with a relative for health reasons, will pay an additional 100 percent. The amount devoted to Perpetual Care will increase from 20 percent to 30 percent.

"This money is to help support the cemetery and all the things that we do for it," May said would be her response to those who live outside the city inquiring about a plot and the increased cost.

The council voted 5-0 to schedule a meeting with the people living on Terra Vista Drive in order to outline their annexation plan. The city plans to propose putting in a new sewer line at a cost of $40,000 and offer the homeowners a five-year tax abatement if they volunteer to be annexed into the city.

Margaret Repasz and Nancy Phillips, both of whom live on Terra Vista Drive, said they would happily get off septic and hook onto the city sewer system.

Beginning this November and in subsequent years, the city will offer the cemetery and park mowing contract in the fall rather than in the spring.

The council tabled consideration on the final contractor change order and engineering agreement amendment for the airport until their next regular meeting so an airport representative could be present. Also tabled was consideration to sell property donated by Sandra Archibald in order to give the city more time to explore its options.

Because of the Labor Day holiday, the council meeting was pushed back a day from the typical first Monday of the month.

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