Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The Bristol County Water Authority will revisit its recent vote to retain its longtime legal counsel, Sandra Matrone Mack.
The Bristol County Water Authority will revisit at its meeting on Wednesday in Warren its vote last month to rehire the same legal counsel it has retained for many years. Whether the board votes again on legal counsel at its meeting on Jan. 9 will depend on advice it receives from the attorney general’s office, said BCWA board chairman Allan Klepper of Barrington. The issue of taking a new vote surfaced again because of criticism that the line item on the award of the contract for legal services at the Dec. 20 meeting was not posted properly. A recording of that meeting also indicates that the issue was discussed at a Dec. 18 meeting that was not posted at all. “I will make a presentation to the board after I talk to the [Rhode Island] …
The Bristol County Water Authority is scheduled to meet tomorrow night, Jan. 9, to vote on a proposed 12-percent increase for fiscal 2014.
As the Bristol County Water Authority Board of Directors has brought their proposed rate hikes to the public over the past month, the key concern for customers is the additional cost they'll face. The board is scheduled to meet tomorrow at 5:15 pm at the BCWA office in Warren, and is expected to vote on the proposed 28-percent increase over the next five years. Here's a review of the facts and figures in the BCWA plan: What are the proposed increases? According to the BCWA proposal, water rates would go up 12 percent in fiscal 2014, then 4 percent in each of the next four years — a total of 28 percent. See the table at the bottom of this article to see the year-to-year comparisons. Why is BCWA seeking these increases? Executive Director …
Friday, January 4, 2013
About 30 residents attended the second session Thursday night to discuss the Bristol County Water Authority's planned 28-percent water rate increase over the next five years.
In what appeared to be the final public hearing before a scheduled meeting next week on proposed water-rate increases, the board of the Bristol County Water Authority met at Warren Town Hall on Thursday night. Some 30 residents attended the session, with about a half-dozen addressing the board about the proposed rate hikes — 12 percent for fiscal 2013 and 4 percent in each of the next four years — and raising other issues about the tri-town agency's management. At the start of the meeting, BCWA Executive Director Pamela Marchand spoke about the strategic plan. Currently, the BCWA is supplied by a single source, which Marchand said "puts us at risk," leading the agency to consider plans for a tie-in to the Pawtucket water system in 2018. "…
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Bristol County Water Authority will hold a second public hearing on its proposed rate increase tonight at 6 at Warren Town Hall.
Following its request for a 31-percent rate increase over the next five years, the Bristol County Water Authority is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal on Thursday night, Jan. 3, at Warren Town Hall. During the agency's meeting held Dec. 19 in Barrington, Executive Director Pamela Marchand told members of the Bristol, Warren, and Barrington Town Councils that the rate hikes are needed to keep BCWA financially stable. Marchand told the councilors that BCWA "will run out of cash by the end of next year" if the towns do not contribute more. The following night, Marchand and the BCWA board presented their plan before a public hearing at Mt. Hope High School. According to Marchand, the additional fees would pay for day-to-day …
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Bristol County Water Authority is proposing a 31% rate hike over 5 years. Do we know all the facts?
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Monday, December 31, 2012
BCWA has proposed rate increases that, by the 5th year, compound out to about 31%. This is in addition to the 2010 rate increase. And all of it in a bad economy. BCWA's alleged support for the 31% rate increase - their Clean Water Infrastructure Plan (Plan) for FY2014 to FY2033 - may not be approved until August 2013. Here's how the review proceeds: 1) BCWA filed this Plan to the RI DOH November 1, 2012. Now, as required by the Rules and Regulations for Clean Water Infrastructure Plans, the Plan is under review by various state agencies. Rhode Island Water Resources Board (Pamela Marchand is listed as "Chair" on the RI Secretary of State's website) The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and The Rhode Island …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
The Bristol County Water Authority will pitch its double-digit rate hike proposal again next week in Warren.
A second public hearing on a proposal to raise water rates in Bristol County by 12 percent this year and 31 percent over five years will be held next Thursday, Jan. 3. The meeting will be held in the Warren Town Hall. It will start at 6 pm. The first public hearing was held last Thursday, Dec. 20, at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol. Only a handful of people turned out, according to a story in eastbayri.com. Still, the BCWA board of directors reportedly got an earful from the few people who did attend the hearing, according to the eastbayri.com story. Among the attendees were Barrington Town Councilor Bill DeWitt and Bristol Rep. Raymond Gallison. DeWitt repeated a contention he made at the most recent Barrington Town Council meeting that …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Bristol County Water Authority will run out of cash for operating expenses by the end of next year without more revenue, town councilors are told Wednesday. They also hear that the water authority is being sued.
The Bristol County Water Authority is in bad financial shape. Pamela Marchand, executive director of the water authority, delivered that message to the town councils of Barrington, Warren and Bristol Wednesday evening, Dec. 19, in Barrington Town Hall. The Tri-Town Meeting was set up by the water authority to brief the 15 councilors on its new strategic and financial plans and its need for a double-digit rate hike for next year. That rate hike will be explained at a public hearing for ratepayers tonight at 6 at Mt. Hope High School. “We’re not in a good financial situation right now,” Marchand said. “We will run out of cash by the end of next year” without a significant boost in revenue. Marchand explained after the meeting that she was…
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The board of the Bristol County Water Authority will pitch its 12 percent rate hike for next year at a public hearing on Thursday evening, Dec. 20.
The Bristol County Water Authority board makes its case for a 12-percent across-the-board rate hike for all customers on Thursday evening, Dec. 20. A public hearing will be held in the Mt. Hope High School cafeteria, where the meeting has been moved from the Warren Town Hall. It starts at 6 pm. The board will lay out its new 5-year strategic, financial and capital plans to support the rate hike, which is seen as critical to raising the revenue needed over the next five years to accomplish those plans. "We don't have to hold a public hearing," said Board Chairman Allan Klepper of Barrington, because the BCWA is not regulated by the state public utility commission. But the board wants to lay out its plans for the next five years and get …
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Bristol County Water Authority board, the Building Board of Review, the Planning Board and the Library Trustees have openings that need to be filled by the Town Council.
Volunteers are needed to serve on three of Barrington's board and commissions, including the Building Board of Review, and the board of directors of the Bristol County Water Authority. Current BCWA board member Kevin Fitta has asked the Town Council not to reappoint him. He is filling an unexpired term that ends next February. The board position is one of three from Barrington on the tri-town authority. Bristol and Warren also have three members each. The three-year term would run through February, 2016. Although considered a volunteer position, BCWA does pay a stipend of $28 per meeting with a cap of $800. No specific qualifications are being sought for the position. You will need to be a professional builder to serve on the Building …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Bristol County Water Authority board will hold a public hearing next Thursday, Dec. 20, to explain the need for a double-digit rate hike and gather feedback on its plans for the water system over the next 5 years.
The Bristol County Water Authority board will be asking for feedback next week at a public hearing on a proposed 12 percent across-the-board rate hike for all users. The hearing will be held in the Warren Town Hall on Thursday evening, Dec. 20. It starts at 6 pm. To support the rate hike, the board will lay out its new 5-year strategic, financial and capital plans. It needs a significant increase in revenue over the next five years to accomplish those plans, which will upgrade the entire water system and create a backup supply. The double-digit rate hike for the next fiscal year is just the first of more rate hikes to come. At this point in time, the capital plan calls for at least 12 percent more in revenue next year and 16 percent in …
Gary Morse
12:45 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
In January, 2011, BCWA was sent a letter from the RI Water Resources Board reminding BCWA that the statutorily mandated "Plan" was overdue, by 18 years at that point. On the same day, BCWA Chairman John Jannitto sent a letter to the Patch reaffirming - "The BCWA board unanimously supports moving forward with the Shad Pipeline Project and the Child Street Water Treatment Plant upgrade." http://… more ›