Board approves Fork Union water rate increase after staff reports billing error and higher expenditures

The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 20 approved an amendment to county code that raises water charges for the Fork Union Sanitary District following a staff briefing on repairs and an underbilling error.

The board voted to set the monthly minimum charge for the first 2,000 gallons at $27 and to raise the per-1,000-gallon rate above that minimum to $15; the board also set the refundable meter deposit at $30. The increases were advertised up to those figures; the motion set an effective date so bills reflecting the change will appear on November statements after an Oct. 1 effective date was discussed during the meeting.

Why it matters: County staff said the district ran an operating shortfall of roughly $165,000 for the fiscal year, driven by expensive well repairs and a billing-system data-entry error that resulted in customers being charged at an $11.22 rate per 2,000 gallons instead of per 1,000 gallons. Staff said fixing the per-1,000-gallon rate to $15 at the advertised maximum would yield roughly $103,000 annually; the combined increase in the minimum and consumption rate would yield roughly $120,000 annually and help address the deficit.

County presentations and public input: Public comment included concerns about the cumulative effect of annual increases and calls for a longer-term capital and maintenance plan. Supervisor O'Brien urged development of a multi-year plan to budget for pipe replacement and expected failures in a system with miles of aging pipeline. Staff said the site is a well-based system with miles of pipe and that the county has been repairing aging infrastructure; operations staff described repeated repairs where joints and older pipeline have failed.

The board debated timing of an effective date before moving the amendment. Staff said the error in the billing platform has been corrected, letters went to affected customers and the county will reflect the rate change on bills after the Oct. 1 effective date.

Action: The board approved the amendment by recorded voice vote (motion carried 4'1). Staff said the county will account for the prior-year shortfall in the forthcoming audit and that a note payable will likely be recorded to the Fork Union system for the deficit.

Ending: Supervisors asked staff to return with longer-term planning and cost projections for replacement and maintenance so future increases can be forecast and staged for customers.