The city of Exeter will see a water rate increase, repairs on the master controller and remote receiver on both well houses, and the Exeter chief of police will allow time to focus on ordinance violations in the city limits.
According to meeting minutes, the city of Exeter will raise the water rates by 50 cents per 1,000 gallons. This increase will be effective at the next billing cycle. This increase will raise the water rates from $3.80 to $4.30 per 1,000 gallons. The water rates will be revisited in January of 2023.
Additionally, both well houses will undergo repairs and new equipment.
Marty Robbins, Exeter maintenance supervisor, said he is currently waiting on equipment.
“We can’t get parts because the current equipment is so outdated,” he said. “So we are having to get new equipment. We have been running the well house by hand for months now.”
Robbins said the circuit line which is through CenturyLink, has been having trouble for a long time.
“They moved over seas, so we haven’t been able to get a representative here to test it,” he said. “Once the new equipment is installed, we will be able to switch it over to the Barry Electric fiberoptic. This will be great benefit and save money, once the wells are upgraded it will cut costs in half. Also, Barry Electric is dependable, so when an issue arises they will get here and fix it.”
Marissa Robbins, Exeter city clerk, said the parts and labor will cost $12,901.
“That included installing the master controller, remote receiver and programing and set-up,” she said. “The company coming in to install it is AC Electric out of Springfield.
“They said they would be here in 4-5 weeks, and the work will only take a couple of days, if that.”
There will be no disruption services for residents.
“We can run them by hand if necessary and the other well house will pick up while one is being repaired,” she said. “Both well houses will get the upgrades.”
Finally, the city of Exeter city council has discussed in the past about hiring a code enforcement officer for the city.
“It would be someone to focus on ordinance violations like nuisance properties, dogs, grass and weeds and vehicles,” Robbins said. “But, we decided that we couldn’t afford a new hire and instead the chief of police would set aside time to focus on those issues.”
