Board members of the Laurens County Water & Sewer Commission, which provides public water to 17,640 billed water users with a staff of 51 employees, spent about 3 hours Tuesday morning in an extensive review of next year’s $15.8 Million revenue/spending plan.
Brought forth on a recommendation of the Finance Committee, which did an even more extensive review of every line-item (May 25), the budget projects expenditures of $11.66 Million (the difference between raised revenue and actual expenditures is applied to capital expenses, capital reserves, and debt service).
This budget does not receive tax millage for operations.
The revenues are expected to be up 8.26% over this year’s figures. The expenses are expected to be up 7.99% over this year’s figures.
A general rate increase for water and sewer services was not proposed. However, the board did authorize small increases in the 2-year wastewater treatment rate plan, the 2-year wastewater collection rate plan, the wastewater base charge for industrial/manual accounts, water distribution capacity fee, water treatment capacity fee, and the water tap fee.
What a customer pays when requesting a water tap is increasing from $2,400 to $2,900, which makes up for an increase in materials used when the tap is installed (no additional cost for labor). The higher fee is competitive, the board was told, with the $2,905 charged by the Greenwood CPW.
The budget adds 4 positions to the LCWSC staff, and provides revenue to remodel a portion of an adjacent building (now that a garage has been constructed in the rear) to bring almost all LCWSC personnel on one campus, at Hwy 221 South in Laurens. Some personnel also work at the Lake Greenwood Water Treatment Plant and at Lake Rabon.
The board also was told that LCWSC has received $200,000 from FEMA to pay for clean-up and generators’ use during last September’s Hurricane Helene - the commission has about $300,000 in still outstanding invoices submitted for payment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The commission just “topped out” a new water storage tank on Metric Road.
It plans to have a replacement water tank at the Laurens County Hospital operational by September.
The commission also has begun a large wastewater collection enhancement project at the Miller’s Fork site between the City of Clinton and I-26.
The budgets and rate plan adjustments received unanimous approval by the members attending the board’s regular meeting on June 24 - in July, the board will change its meeting to the 5th Tuesday of the month, July 29, so the administration staff can attend a government-grants July 22 webinar.
