Dodson to hold public meeting on H20 rates

The Town Council of Dodson will be holding a public meeting on Monday, July 1 at the Catholic Parish Church in Dodson starting at 6:30 p.m. to inform and discuss a water rate increase to help fund the town’s water system.

Dodson Mayor Teresa Cole told the PCN the amount the water service rate will be changed is from $29.50 to $31.50 per connection and is set to begin on Thursday, August 1 this summer.

“We need to do this in order to handle our debt with the water project we just did,” Mayor Cole said. “The last time the water rates were raised was around 2007 when Eldora Henry was mayor. We had to raise the sewer rates then to fund the sewer project we were doing then.”

Mayor Cole said that the information will be held to inform and also field questions from customers of the water system.

“Everyone who wants to speak will be given that opportunity,” she said.

Mayor Cole said that the price tag on the current project is $118,000 and $59,000 is debt and the remaining $59,000 state grant was forgiven.

“Raising rates is never popular and we totally understand that Dodson is a designated poverty area,” Mayor Cole said. “But the Town of Dodson still has to pay its water and light bills and we still have to pay our help, so we really have no recourse. If we want good, clean, drinkable water, this is what we have to do.”

Mayor Cole said Dodson water users had to go two-days without water recently as work at the new pump house went awry.