Rural Water Association advises rate changes and reserves; Scofield council approves customer mailing

The Scofield Town Council heard a water-rate and sustainability presentation Dec. 8 from Janelle Brathwaite of the Rural Water Association and approved mailing information about an optional water-line-protection product to all water customers.

Brathwaite, who described herself as a management technician with the Rural Water Association, reviewed Scofield’s usage and recommended ways to build reserve funds and qualify for external funding. She outlined options including modest base-rate adjustments and tiered usage charges to create steadier revenue for maintenance and capital projects.

Brathwaite emphasized that small systems should build savings ahead of large capital projects and that a modest base increase and careful tiering can reduce the need for sudden large hikes. She explained a consumer water-line-protection product the council had questions about and gave the product’s monthly tiers: $1.75 for $500 per occurrence, $2.00 for $1,000, and $2.35 for $2,500. She said the service was reputable and had paid claims for other small systems.

Members asked about how a base-rate change would affect the average customer and whether large users would subsidize smaller households. Brathwaite recommended beginning with incremental increases and exploring grant opportunities before large projects. The council approved a motion to mail product and program information to every water customer so residents can enroll if they choose.

Next steps: Brathwaite offered to return with visual materials and the council instructed staff to prepare the mailing to water users with estimated printing/postage costs.