Board Attorney Andy Boxberger, left, discusses a rate increase for Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District customers Monday, May 19. Also pictured is Superintendent Tim Woodward. Photo by Lilli Dwyer.

By Lilli Dwyer
InkFreeNews

CROMWELL — Turkey Creek Sewer District opened its Monday, May 19, meeting with a public hearing on increasing monthly rates from $71.85 to $79.05.

Board Attorney Andy Boxberger explained the proposed rate breaks down into a 10% increase to $75.75, plus a billing charge of $3.30. This increase was suggested in a rate study recently completed by Baker Tilly.

Part of the reason for the increase is to keep up with inflation. The board has been considering an increase for the past two years.

“Why now is because, based on the analysis by Baker Tilly, the rates and charges are not enough to cover the costs and operations of the district,” Boxberger said.

Since COVID, Superintendent Tim Woodward explained, “I’d say there’s been about a 40% increase in everything we buy. … The easiest analysis is you could buy a pump for (Buttermilk Point lift station) in 2016 for $28,000, now it’s $51,000. That’s across the board for everything we do. Generator, labor, parts, insurance.”

The rate increase will also help cover the cost of replacing old rotors in the sewer plant’s oxidation ditches.

“We’ve increased our biological treatment capacity by 62%,” said Woodward of the project.

Before this project, the plant was operating in the 90th percentile of its capacity. Without an increase in plant capacity, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management would have given it a sewer ban.

Rates will be reevaluated again after the board finds out if it will receive state revolving fund grant monies for its other water and wastewater improvement projects. Boxberger said the board would have a better idea of finances in early fall.

No members of the public were present at the hearing. The board approved the rate increase to go into effect June 1. TCRSD bills in arrears, meaning June usage is billed for in July. Therefore, the rate increase will apply to customers’ July bills and bills going forward.

In the regular meeting, Boxberger brought up Baker Tilly’s suggestion the board get a bond anticipatory note of $1.8 million before financing more improvement projects.

The board approved letting Baker Tilly start looking for proposals from banks, authorizing up to a 7% interest rate.

The board reflected on the visit from IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods and Field Inspector Sophia Andrews it received Thursday, May 15. Woods toured the Enchanted Hills water utility and Andrews inspected it, noting it was running well compared to some other utilities in the area.

The board is hoping the positive results of the tour and inspection will lead to funding opportunities to improve the water utility.

“I hope and I pray that one hand washes the other and maybe we’ll get some help. … We’ve tried so many times to get help. I think we’ve reached as far as we can reach now,” said Woodward. The plant serves a small utility of 230 customers, but it’s in need of a lot of improvements, making it difficult to find funding.

“If we don’t get help, I’m about ready to put wells in and be done with it. We’ll see what happens. It’s a complicated water plant to run and it’s only getting more expensive,” Woodward remarked.

Engineer John Magsam updated the board on the rotors replacement project progress.

In preparation for installing new rotors, which mix and aerate sewage at the plant, one of the two oxidation ditches has been drained.

Magsam said Mason Engineering should be done installing the new 11-foot rotors in the empty ditch by June 16. Work on the project will then pause for a few weeks as both ditches are needed for Fourth of July weekend, when TCRSD sees its highest flow of the year. After the fourth, the second ditch can be drained and new rotors installed there.

In his report, Superintendent Tim Woodward stated Ortman Drilling had inspected both wells at the water plant and found them in good condition.

During the IDEM visit, Andrews did find one problem: a screen on the clarifier vent had been eaten by bacteria. This has been fixed.

Woodward also proposed a $1 raise for commercial license driver Ashton Shepherd, which the board approved.

The next Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday, June 16.