Small fluctuation in water bill prices can be expected throughout the year, but for some Mahomet residents, the increase in January’s bill caught them by surprise.
Village board members discussed the increase with Village Receptionist Sara Toomer during the Village Study Session Tuesday. Toomer is responsible for billing and collection.
Toomer explained January’s cycle ran 36 days for some residents as crews mended two major water main breaks and plowed snow.Billing cycles generally run 30 to 33 days.
She also said longer billing cycles are typical in winter months. The Village hires temporary workers during summer months to help with the meter reading process. Meters are typically read between the 1st and 15th of each month.
Trustee Andy Harpst asked if the Village would be willing to hire a part-time employee during winter months to ensure the billing cycle runs 30 to 33 days. He cited the increase in January’s bill hits residents hard, especially after the holiday season.
Public Works Director Gary LaForge said summer employees are generally students, and it would be difficult to train someone to do a job which generally just takes a few days to complete. Harpst suggested the Village add a note to bills and the website when billing periods exceed 30 days to notify residents of the adjustments as they receive their bill.
Seventy percent of Village meters are radio readers, which means data can be collected remotely. Twenty-seven percent are touch readers and three percent are manual readers. Village employees have to read these meters. LaForge said staff is trying to work with residents to replace older meters.
Toomer said as calls come into the office with billing questions, she has the meter reread and recalculates the bills. Of the eight calls she received in regards to January bills, only one resident had a water leak.
Village officials expect to see more water main breaks as the ground thaws.
Village Administrator Mell Smigielski shared a complaint he received from a Village resident citing snow plows close up driveways and sidewalks as they clear the roads. The resident stated employees could moved the snow a few extra feet to ensure driveways and sidewalks are opens.
Mayor Patrick Brown explained that snow plows cannot scoop or direct snow to specific areas; only remove it from the roadway.
Maintenance and Streets Superintendent Eric Crowley asked the board to approve the addition of snow plow wings to the bid for the replacement of the tandem axle and single axle heavy dump truck for $16,000. This item was moved to the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 25.
Crowley said the wing will help crews remove heavy amounts of snow, particularly in areas where the snow drifts.
With heavy amounts of snow this year, the Village has already spent $29,160 on snow removal since Dec. 1. While the original overtime budget was $11,000, the Village has paid $20,164 of overtime. Last year’s overtime expense rounded out to $7,000.
Like many towns in the Midwest, Mahomet’s salt level is critically low. Gaining access to salt is a problem for many towns in the Midwest as barges with salt are stuck on the Mississippi River.
The Village prepared for the winter season by ordering 200 tons of salt, but with continuing extreme conditions, their current supply is around 25 tons.
With this, the Village is only able to salt primary streets and intersections.
Crowley ordered additional salt from a private organization last week. Transportation employees also replaced blades on the front of the trucks. Crowley said with warmer weather next week, they may be able to scrape some of the snow-compacted streets to clear them of snow and ice.
The new transportation building on Lake of the Woods road can store up to 500 tons of salt. Crowley will look into ways to build an excess of salt reserves going forward.
