GARDEN CITY — Garden City officials said Monday that due to drastic price increases to the cost of materials, council members Nov. 20 revisited discussions on its pricing of residential water meter sets.
The current pricing of $600 for a 3/4 inch meter tap and $800 for 1 inch was last set in 2021. At the time, the pricing was based on the cost of materials plus a 10 percent increase to offset labor costs.
Within the last two years, town officials reported material costs alone have increased to $478 and $857 respectively. Councilmember Butch Bradford said these increases have left the town losing between $300 and $400 for every meter the town’s maintenance department installs.
While the council doesn’t plan to take any formal action until its December meeting, suggestions were made to increase meter install costs to $750 for 3/4 inch meters and $1,000 for 1 inch meters for residences inside the town limits. Residences outside of town limits should also expect a slight increase to these early estimates based on the council’s discussions.
A second suggestion was made to adopt a similar policy holding property owners responsible for any unpaid utility bills left by tenants. Councilmember Michael Black requested for language to be added to the policy which would allow for property owners to be notified if tenant bills become delinquent, possibly allowing for them to have utilities be turned off. The town’s legal council cautioned against delving too far into landlord/tenant laws but assured the council they would thoroughly review proposed ordinances to ensure their legality.
The portion of the Blount County Water Users agreement recommended states: “If the property is rented, the Landowners (defined as those who own the land on which the customer’s dwelling is located, and who has signed on the Application for Water Service to said dwelling) agree that, in consideration of the Authority furnishing water to the Consumer’s dwelling, the Landowners hereby agree to be ultimately responsible to the Corporation for full payment for all water used and any damage to meter or connections. The Water User(s)/Consumers(s) listed on the Application for Water Service and/or full payment of all fees which said Water User(s)/Consumers(s) are otherwise responsible to pay the Corporation, all amounts which become due and/or delinquent, owing to the Corporation.”
In other business the council:
Approved a one-time annual $200 bonus for all town employees, including part-time workers.Approved to continue the process of preparing to open bids for repairs to Roland Johnson Parkway.Announced Town Hall would be closed from Dec. 22-Jan. 1.