Water And Sewer

A farmer who has been working through the county zoning process for two years to subdivide his 26-acre property in Freedom has been told by county officials that he may not be permitted to proceed because of new water and sewer regulations.August Meyer, who said he has spent thousands of dollars on engineering and legal fees planning to develop his property at Liberty and White Rock roads, presented his case last week at the county Health Board meeting.Mr. Meyer received a letter in January from County Attorney Chuck Thompson saying that amendments to the county's water and sewer master plan last fall had placed his property in an area designated for public water and sewer connections, said Mr. Meyer's attorney, Clark Shaffer.

County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann has proposed creating two new fees that would add more than $2,500 to the cost of connecting a new home to county water and sewer services.She's also proposing the county double the water and sewer service fees homeowners pay annually.The two new fees and the increase in the service charge are beingproposed as a way to generate new revenues so the county can make improvements to its public water and sewer systems, say county administrators.The two new fees Rehrmann is seeking are called system development fees.

On Monday the City Council awarded a contract for water and sewer main extension work near the intersection of West Main Street and Route140.At its regular meeting, the council awarded the $193,467 contract to the Hampstead-based Walsh Equipment & Construction Co.

An article in Tuesday's edition of The Sun for Anne Arundel County reported incorrectly the status of bids for a project to extend water and sewer lines to Bacontown, a community near Laurel Park Race Course.The bids are to be opened May 9.The Sun regrets the error.

Operating budget: $68.6 million Spending increase: 10 percent Proposed tax rate: 56 cents per $100 of assessed value (no change) Employee raises: 3 percent New spending: Five additional police officers; bulkhead repairs at City Dock; water and sewer improvements[Source: Office of the Mayor]

Voter petitions: Backers of a fall referendum on Columbia's latest development plan voice disappointment and anger that more than a third of required petition signatures have been rejected. Page 2 Doughoregan Manor: The County Council unanimously approves the extension of water and sewer for an area where 500 homes are proposed. Page 3

Water and sewer connection charges may soon rise in Carroll County. The county wants to institute a flat rate of $4,725 for connecting new homes to its water service and $4,741 for sewer service, said county Comptroller Eugene C. Curfman. These rates are higher than what many customers are now charged. The increase is being proposed to fund various capital projects for the county's water and sewer system, including the new water treatment plant at Piney Run, Curfman said. The issue will be discussed at a public information meeting tomorrow night in Eldersburg.

Water and sewer fees for residents using Carroll County's public systems would go up for a second straight year if the county commissioners approve the increases introduced yesterday. The proposed increases would affect most of the county's 10,180 water and sewer service customers, most of whom live in South Carroll, which includes Eldersburg and Sykesville. Under the new fee structure, an average household in South Carroll - using 100,000 gallons a year - would pay about $43 more a year for water and sewer service.

Union Bridge is collecting only 66 percent of the revenue needed to run its water and sewer system, town officials learned last night.The mayor and town council received the news during a 48-minute work session to discuss the need to raise the town's water and sewer rates.If the town's 365 water customers share a $26,850 operating shortfall equally, they would have to pay an extra $73.56 per year each. Likewise, the town's 355 sewer customers would have to pay an extra $114.51 annually to cover a $40,650 operating shortfall.

The Harford County public and municipal elected officials in Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace need to pay particularly close attention three bills on water and sewer issues that are scheduled for hearings before the Harford County Council this Tuesday, March 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Though the bills to some degree reflect a move in the general direction of a unified water system for the county, the question whether the county needs such...