By ZOË HAGGARD - zhaggard@t-g.com
Several Wartrace water district residents made comments at Thursday’s Board of Alderman and Mayor study session about new water rates, which went into effect July 1.
Donna Smith said her bill went up from $57 to $78. “The increase hit us hard—with the county tax and this. It hit us hard. We’re not going to be coming to the Iron Horse as much as we used to . . . . I don’t think it’s fair.”
She said there’s been at least two leaks out in her direction that have been reported before but have never been worked on.
Wartrace Mayor Cindy Drake said the water department does spend a lot of their time repairing such water leaks. But if a customer is without water, that is the first one they fix, she explained.
Drake said they hired a company that will help them identify the leaks since many of them are in obscure locations. According to town recorder Kathy Tyson, sometimes Tullahoma Utilities bills Wartrace for pipe repair through a mutual aid agreement.
Drake added that the Wartrace water department is also understaffed. So that presents its own issues for the department.
Highway 64 East resident Stephanie Hickerson said she was a “big fan” of the water department as they were out there in the worst weather repairing an old line. “We do have a retched situation, but I do thank you so much. I’m not worried about the increase, but I do understand in some situations it can be difficult,” she said.
Wartrace water system is unique with its 100 miles of pipes and 1,300 customers for a town of 600 people.
They sell Bell Buckle raw water and then the town of Bell Buckle charges their individual customers. For Normandy, the town does its billing through Wartrace, which also sells raw, untreated water from Cascade Spring to the George Dickel whiskey distillery.
Drake said, “It’s tough . . . we are a tiny little town with a tiny little budget, and we have a huge water system. No one sitting at this table has wanted to raise rates. And all of us . . . we also pay the higher rates.”
Wartrace officials conducted a study that determined the minimum they could raise the rates but still have a small profit in the end. The 2020-2021 fiscal year ended with a loss of profit for the town, officials report. The rates could possibly be lowered, that is if an upcoming Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) study shows the town exceeded its profit.
There’s no separate sewer department. Wartrace town limit customers pay $25.95 for the sewer fee, plus the $20.55 for the water fee for a total of $46.50, which is $3.76 less than the county residents pay. “So, it’s not a huge difference,” said Drake.
Other water districts that serve both county and city charge a higher rate for the county as there are more pipes to maintain, sometimes even two-times the $46.50, according to Drake. “So, we do understand where everyone is coming from [and] that you’re upset about the rates,” said Drake.
From the calls she has received, the mayor explains how most customer bills increased, beginning with recent July billing, between $7 to $10 a month.
Drake said within the bigger picture is that the Wartrace water department has a great many years of deferred maintenance. The town applied for a $637,105 grant and should receive it next year.
“It should’ve been done in increments, but it wasn’t,” advised Drake. “So, we’re having to deal with that today.”
