JACKSON WATER HOOKUP COSTS TO DECLINE

JACKSON -- The cost of hooking up to Jackson's water could be considerably less after repeal of a city ordinance by the Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday night.

City Administrator Steve Wilson said the formula for water hookup charges, or tap fees, isn't even-handed. He said customers could be charged as much as $700 to start city water service.

"We can operate as we have been with a $200 to $500 fee," Wilson told the board. "Repealing this is the first step toward modifying the cost of water hookup in the city."

He said the city staff is preparing a new method for charging customers who hook up to city water. Customers needing water hookups over the next couple of weeks will be assessed the new charge when it is implemented, he said.

"We're still working some things out -- the cost of running lines, sewer hookups and other things that go along with it," Wilson said. "The average charge will probably be anywhere from $250 to $285."

Also on the board's agenda was partial payment to the company building the city's 300,000-gallon water tank. Caldwell Tanks Inc. will receive almost $300,000 from the city, about 60 percent of the total cost of the project.

The board also approved a related purchase, a meter for the water system. Because of the excessive pressure the new tower will produce, the board authorized almost $5,000 to purchase a Portable Digital Doppler Flowmeter. The city staff will determine where the flowmeter should be placed and where pressure reducers should be placed in the system to prevent the pressure from damaging water lines.