ELKTON — In a 4-1 vote, the Elkton Mayor and Commissioners approved new water and sewer rates for town residents Wednesday — increasing the average resident’s water rate from $4.16 per 1,000 gallons to $5.41 and the sewer rate from $7.47 per 1,000 gallons to $10.83 per 1,000 gallons.
Each of the five commissioners agreed that, as much as they do not like having to increase rates, they are left with no choice after operating fees, salaries and inflation have exceedingly increased the cost of water operations in the town.
“I hate to say it and I hate to do it because all five of us have to pay the rates as well,” said Elkton Mayor Robert Alt. “It hurts us and it hurts our families and it hurts our residents but it has to be done. We have held out for as long as we could.”
Alt noted that he takes full responsibility for the hefty rate increases, explaining that a study from eight years ago advised the town that officials should be increasing their water and sewer rates each year.
He cited that, since the town’s water and sewer fund — which is designed to operate like a business and generate profit for the town — had excess funds in it, he decided to lower water and sewer rates eight years ago to help residents.
“We thought we would use the additional money in our fund to offset the rates for our residents but now we run the risk of depleting the fund entirely if we keep going,” Alt said.
Under its contract, the Town of Elkton is required to draw a minimum of 250,000 gallons of water from Artesian Water per day at a rate of $4.60 per 1,000 gallons. Residents are charged $4.16 per 1,000 gallons of water that they use on a quarter basis- leaving the town with a $.44 deficit per 1,000 gallons.
Since the rate decreases eight years ago, Artesian water’s costs have increased by 13 percent and Inframark — the town’s contractor that handles sewer infrastructure — has increased by nearly 50 percent.
“Our water and sewer fund will never fill up when we’re losing money each month,” Alt said. “The situation will continually get worse — especially with all of the new development coming.”
Commissioner Earl Piner was the only commissioner to vote against raising the rates. He held a look of discouragement throughout each conversation stating that he is against raising rates on the families and next generation of residents in the town, but that he understands why officials feel it needs to be done.
“I hate to impose all of these increases on the children and my children and all of the people that will come to Elkton in the future and their families,” Piner said in a previous meeting.
The new water and sewer rates will go into effect Feb. 1, 2024. To alleviate the potential burden the increases may cause for residents, the town encourages residents to pay their water and sewer bill monthly.
To do so, residents can either go to the town’s municipal building to pay their bill, or call the town’s finance department to request their bill amount and send a check in the mail.
