Treatment plant requires more money

WATKINS GLEN--Due to an expected $150,000 revenue shortfall for the sewer budget in 2021, Mayor Luke Leszyk has said the board of trustees are expecting to add a $20 charge to the monthly sewer bill for every user. Leszyk said the additional charge, which will total $240 a year, is expected to be under a separate line labeled debt services.
"We're still not meeting our debt needs, so what (we) want to do is put a separate line in the bill for debt services, so basically that money would be earmarked to directly pay down the debt for the new wastewater treatment plant," Leszyk said.
The additional charge would be across the board for all customers and was first discussed publicly during the Tuesday, May 18 board meeting. The board did not vote on the increase, as it will first need a local law which itself will require a public hearing. That is expected to take place June 2.
Leszyk said the village will lower rates as soon as it is fiscally possible.
"(If the village took in more funds than expected) we would instantly start reducing (rates), we're a not for profit organization so we only raise as much funds as we need to operate. Period," Leszyk mentioned. "We don't try to make money on top of it... if there is money that we find we don't need or not spending we will reflect that back to the users or taxpayers."
As to the reasons for the shortfall in 2020, village officials have said it was created by a number of factors including COVID affecting tourism and closing schools, but also that operational costs for the new wastewater treatment plant were higher than expected.
Even though revenue generated from users last year came in roughly $150,000 short, Leszyk said the village was able to shield users from cost increases until now.
"It didn't hurt us that bad because we were still under the contract in construction so we were able to offset some of that debt (through shifting the timing of the financing)," Leszyk said.
As a result of these financial adjustments, the sewer budget isn't starting off the year already in debt.