JACKSON BOARD VOTES TO HIKE COST OF WATER

JACKSON -- The cost of water is going up this month for customers of the Jackson municipal water department.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday night to increase the rate for water 10 cents per 1,000 gallons effective Sept. 15.

The new rate for customers inside the city limits includes a minimum charge of $4 per 1,000 gallons or less. For the next 4,000 gallons per month, the charge is $1.70 per thousand gallons; the next 5,000 gallons per month will cost $1.60 per thousand gallons, and the next 10,000 gallons per month will cost $1.50 per thousand gallons.

Customers who use in excess of 100,000 gallons per month will be charged $1.30 per month.

For customers outside the city limits, the minimum charge is $8 for the first 2,000 gallons or less. The next 3,000 gallons per month will cost $3.25 per thousand gallons; the next 5,000 gallons per month will cost $3 per thousand gallons; and the next 10,000 gallons per month will be $2.85 per thousand gallons.

City Administrator Carl Talley said the increase was necessary due to increasing costs of operating the municipal water department. He said the last rate increase was in March 1989.

Jackson's water department serves 3,785 customers, including 85 customers outside the city limits, most of them in Grandview Acres south of town.

The board opened four bids Tuesday for phase 2 of the East Jackson water line project. The work includes installation of nearly 10,000 feet of eight-inch water line from Turkey Hill Road (County Road 307) east to I-55 and construction of a booster pump station near Williams Creek.

The contract was awarded to the low bidder, P&R Developers of Cape Girardeau, whose bid was $85,065. The next lowest bid of $94,977 was submitted by Loana Contractors of Bismark. The two other bids were $125,144 and $113,410.50. The engineer's estimate of the project was $102,000.

Acting City Engineer Rich Bowen said most of the cost of the project is for labor since the city will supply all of the materials and install the booster pump station.

The board approved a motion to advertise for bids for phase 2 of the East Jackson Boulevard sanitary sewer project. The bids will be opened on Oct. 7.

The work will include construction of a pressurized sanitary sewer main along East Jackson from a point near the Milton Nitsch residence eastward to I-55, and construction of a sewage lift station at the east end of the pressurized line. Other sewer lines will be constructed in the vicinity of the lift station to serve businesses and residences in that area.

In other business, the board approved ordinances to accept the subdivision plat for Fairway Estates II and the re-subdivision of Bent Creek, Phase II.

The board also authorized the closing of West Vale on Sept. 28, from 2-9 p.m., for a block party.

The board set Sept. 16 for a public hearing on the closeout of the community block grant Jackson Trails extension project.

"It's something new," Talley said. "It used to be we had a public hearing before the work started. Now we have to have a hearing before, and after the work is done."

The hearing begins at 7:30 p.m.. Both written and oral comments on the street extension will be accepted during the hearing.