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12.12.03 Board to hold public hearing on 2004 budget The Metropolitan Utilities District Board will hold a public hearing, at 8:15 a.m., Friday, December 19, on the proposed 2004 budget. The proposed budget totals $348,089,000 compared to estimated expenditures of $345,432,000 in 2003. Revenues and weather-related costs are based on temperatures for a normal year. The proposed budget includes a reduction in the number of employees from 809 to 803. It also includes a water rate increase of 2.75%, effective January 2, 2004. The last water rate increase was April 1, 2001. The average residential customer who uses 110,000 gallons of water per year now pays $162.09. The cost would increase to $166.50 a year. The rate increase will generate $1.3 million a year in revenue. The average residential natural gas customer also would see an increase of 3.9 percent a year, effective January 2, 2004. According to the proposed budget, the natural gas service charge for residential gas customers would increase $2.40, from $7 to $9.40 a month. The service charge for commercial and large volume gas customers would increase from $12 to $14.40 a month. The last service charge increase was January 2, 2002. The service charge increase will generate $5.6 million a year in revenue. The proposed water department budget totals $97.1 million compared to an estimated $89.3 million in 2003. The difference is due to a $1.8 million increase in operating expenses, a $7.7 million increase in the capital budget, and a $1.7 million decrease in the funds transferred to the water construction fund. The water construction fund, earmarked for the $300-million Platte West Project, is projected to have a total of $99.3 million at the end of 2003. The District plans to spend $20.7 million on the project in 2004 for design of 100 million-gallon-a-day water treatment plant at 217th & Q Sts., development of the wellfield and the construction of 31 wells in Douglas and Saunders Counties, to be completed in early 2006. The Platte West facility will increase M.U.D.'s water treatment capacity to 334 million gallons a day. The plant is scheduled to go online in 2008. The water department budget also includes $18.5 million for water main installation and improvements, and $2.9 million to build a pump station at 141st & State Sts. The new pump station will increase water capacity and pressure for customers living in the northwest part of the metro area. The proposed gas department budget totals $250.9 million compared to an estimated $256 million in 2003. The major items in the budget are $5.7 million for main improvements, and $6.3 million services, meters and regulator equipment. A customer-owned utility, M.U.D. serves more than 180,300 water and 193,500 natural gas customers in the metro Omaha area. |
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