Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Tuesday, July 7, 2009
(MITCHELL) - The city of Mitchell will soon be drilling 3 to 4 wells to hopefully relieve residents paying the high water bills and provide them with clean water.
The current average bill for about a family of four is around $116 a month.
The bills are at such high rates due to an enormous debt reportedly left from the previous administration, resulting from to low prices and not enough profit to pay for maintenance, insurance, employees and other expenses; water rates had no choice but to increase 39% for water and 57% for sewer to help with the debt.
Mitchell currently loses $440,000 a year to the water treatment facility.
The city is now looking into to selling, leasing, or part selling the water treatment facility to a private company to get rid of some of the accumulated debt.
Mayor Terrell setup a committee to look at the possible options to lower residential water rates, the committee consisting of Jack Murphy, Dwight Dunbar, and Lee Hupp.
The idea right now to lower rates is to put in a new well system.
The estimated cost to build the wells is around 1.3 million which will be provided to the city through a government grant that will be received July 13th.
Mayor Terrell would like Mitchell residents to know that the city is working its hardest to lower water rates.
The new system should be in effect by December.
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