The Bradford Sanitary Authority raised both its sewer rate and
tap-in fee during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday
afternoon.

While adopting the budget for 2006, the authority agreed to
raise the base sewer rate by $2 from $14.50 to $16.50 per
month.

“I think this is a pretty tight budget,” authority treasurer Lee
Doynow said during the meeting.

Authority member Bob Witchen asked if the authority would be
short on cash with only a $2 rate increase, as the budget was so
tightly balanced with no “slush money.” He said raising the rate by
$3 this year, for example, may save them from having to raise the
rate again in 2007.

Doynow said she was “comfortable” with the budget and rate
increase, even though the authority was initially looking at the
possibility of a $4 increase. She said she couldn’t promise there
would be no increase in coming years, but said she felt the
authority was doing the taxpayers and customers justice with the
services provided for the cost paid.

The rate for service beyond the base amount jumped from $2.90 to
$3.30 per 1,000 gallons.

To keep the budget for 2006 balanced, some items on treatment
plant operations manager Barry Anderson’s “wish list” had to be
nixed, Doynow explained, even taking the rate increase into
consideration. Also, the authority had to take $200,000 from
reserve funds to make sure the upcoming interceptor project would
be paid for, she said.

The interceptor project refers to a large section of a main
36-inch sewer line that has to be televised and cleaned
immediately, with more work to follow.

The authority also raised its sewer tap-in fee from $150 to
$500. Authority chairman Daniel J. Hartle said after the meeting
the tap-in fee has not changed in at least 10 years.

In other business, Bradford City Councilman-elect Bob Onuffer
spread some Christmas cheer at the meeting, telling authority
members he planned to attend the meetings as regularly as possible
to function as a “good, positive connecting point,” between the
authority and city council.

Onuffer said he would look for ways to help the authority while
serving on council and would be willing to take pertinent
information from the authority back to council as well.

Rick Brocius and Burt Clark were appointed to the nominating
committee to draft a slate of officers for next year.

While giving his regular report, Anderson said the authority
crews will be addressing a tree root blockage problem on Jackson
Avenue next week. The area will have to routinely be cut down and
treated with chemicals, he said.

Again looking to next year, Hartle told the authority it was his
intention to shop around regarding insurance rates. While he would
like to stay with their current provider, Burns & Burns
Associates, the one area of workman’s compensation insurance may be
cheaper through another agency. That being the case, Hartle said he
would look into the possibility of retaining most of the insurance
services through Burns & Burns and get the workman’s
compensation insurance where it is cheapest.