Water district taxes likely to continue

By NICOLE CARTRETTE

The question of how to make two rural water systems in Columbus County pay for themselves is one that lingers years after officials were first faced with deficits for the controversial Water Districts 2 and 3. While one district shows some improvement, the other lags seriously behind.

District 2, west of Whiteville, is in much better shape that District 3, according to Leroy Sellers, water department director. The district had 1,400 tap connections in 2003 but only about 700 customers actually using the water. Today, the number of customers has risen to 1,150 with 24 new users in the past year.

There are 17 households paying the minimum bill but not using the water. Of 27 delinquent bills, three are in excess of $500. Delinquent bills total just under $9,000. The average water bill is $37 and the actual revenue generated this month alone from water bills was about $43,000.

District 3, in North Whiteville, has only 73 more customers than it did in 2003 with 36 new users in the past year. The district had 915 tap connections in 2003 and 800 active customers compared to 871 today.

There are 18 households paying the minimum bill but not using the water and 18 delinquent bills total slightly more than $5,000. Two delinquent bills are in excess of $500. The average water bill is $37 and the revenue generated from water bills last month totaled just more than $30,000.

Water sales in District 2 are expected to total $300,860 this year compared to $253,817 predicted for District 3. The revenue from water bills is short nearly $200,000 of meeting the loan payments totaling close to $745,000 that do not include operation and maintenance costs.

Taxpayers in both districts continue to foot the bill for the difference with District 3 expected to pay $230,000 and District 2 $305,000 in special water district taxes this fiscal year.

Sellers said with the rising costs it is difficult to pinpoint the number of active users it would take in order for both systems to be self-supporting. In 2000, a six-inch pipe was $6 per foot compared to $15 per foot today.

Officials say only the customer base can solve the tax burden. “If people will quit downing the water and just hook up the tax problems would go away,” Sellers said.

In the meantime, expansion of the water system is taking place in some areas while it is out of the question for now in other areas.

Engineering plans are being drawn to extend waterlines in the Timbercove Subdivision, off Inman Lake Road, to approximately nine houses in a later phase of the subdivision. Sellers said the project will cost approximately $20,000 and is worthwhile because of the good customer base in the area.

For Paul Avery of Clarendon-Chadbourn road and at least 16 other residents in his community that have signed a petition asking for access to county water, Sellers said the cost is simply too great. Original plans to loop the waterlines from N.C. 410 and near Peacock Road were estimated to cost about $300,000. Sellers said to run only two miles of lines from 410 directly down Avery’s road and not complete the loop would now cost $150,000 to $200,000.