Board approves sewer, water surcharge

WATKINS GLEN-- The Watkins Glen village trustees approved an increase to sewer and water bills by roughly $22 total each month during the Tuesday, June 2 meeting. Sewer bills across the board will increase roughly $20 while water bills will increase by $2 to help pay down debt associated with recent multi-million dollar projects.
"We knew it was coming," said Mayor Luke Leszyk.
The $20 associated with the sewer bill is due to the debt created by the recent construction and upkeep of the new wastewater treatment plant that Watkins Glen shares with Montour Falls. The $2 increase to the water bill is primarily attributed to the construction of a roughly $1 million main on 14th Street that Leszyk said was installed a few years ago.
"Basically what we are doing is rather than raising the rate of water and sewer which can hit everyone differently... we separate the actual debt we owe and it will be a flat rate across the board," Leszyk said.
Along with paying down debt, Leszyk said that it is important the village begin to prepare for the millions of dollars of upgrades to the water system, some of which have been required by the state.
"We are also having infrastructure [improvements] so we have to build a reserve," Leszyk added.
To help mitigate the cost of the impending infrastructure costs, Leszyk said the village has just received a $1.25 million grant to go towards a $9 million project that would include a new intake.
"And we are optimistic that more grants will come in," Leszyk mentioned.
In a move the board said could save the village $400,000 over 10 years, Watkins is set to enter into an agreement with Enterprise Fleet to lease village vehicles instead of purchasing them outright.
"It is pending legal review, if the lawyers sign off on the contract then we will sign it," Leszyk stated.
In the first year of the deal, the village would sell nine current vehicles that it owns outright that are 10 plus years old and then lease nine vehicles to replace them. With an estimated $40,000 coming from the vehicles expected to be sold, Leszyk said the first-year cost for leasing nine new vehicles would only be $8,000-$10,000.
"This will give us more cost predictability... and also sets up the village well for potential federal regulations regarding the usage of electric vehicles that may come in the future," Leszyk said.
With some newer vehicles in the current fleet, Leszyk said the village would not completely lease all of its vehicles for five years.
"By leasing, you pay less than paying outright new, and then maintenance costs go down, they are more fuel-efficient," Leszyk said. "There are times where there is a net gain, where vehicles we turn in could get more money than what our lease fee is."
Without taking into account estimated equity, Leszyk said that the yearly cost of leasing all 18 vehicles in five years will cost roughly $110,000. However, with potential equity associated with leasing, Leszyk mentioned it is his hope that the village will be able to mitigate that cost.