HIGHFILL — In a 15 minute meeting on Aug. 14, Highfill’s city council passed on it’s second reading an ordinance raising water rates in the city water system’s service area.

The ordinance will automatically raise water rates by 5 percent each year unless the council votes to stay the rate increase for a particular year. The rate increase, if passed on three readings, will begin with the Nov. 1 bill this year, with the automatically scheduled annual increases continuing with the first subsequent increase on Jan 1, 2014.

The reasons for the increase cited in the proposed ordinance include increasedcost to the city to buy water from the Benton/Washington Regional Public Water Authority and increased costs and expenses to maintain and operate the water system.

The rate increase includes a service charge based on the water customer’s meter size, a usage charge based on the amount of water used, 30 cents per month per service connection to recover the state Public Water System Service fee, and an assessed $1.50 per metered customer per month as established by the Benton/ Washington Regional Public Water Authority.

Monthly meter service charges range from $25 for a 5/8-inch meter to $725 for an 8-inch meter. Residential water rates were listed at$4.78 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof; commercial rates were listed as $3.15 per thousand; and industrial/ wholesale rates at $2.63 per 1,000.

The proposed ordinance will be brought back in September for its third and final reading.

Highfill’s fire chief, Gene Holland, reported that the department had won the bid to purchase a fire engine being sold by the Bentonville Fire Department. The city is purchasing the truck for $58,000, and money will come from Act 833 funding.

New, the truck would cost between $350,000 and $400,000, Holland said. Used prices for the truck would run between $100,000 and $150,000, according to Holland.

The department will receive the truck about Nov. 1, Holland said.

Stacy Digby, Highfill’s mayor, reported that the city had switched to Verizon Wireless. Digby said the city had tested the service and anticipated it would save the city money and provide better service.

He also reported vandalism to three of the city’s park benches near the pavilion.

“It’s not a lot of damage,” Digby said, “but it’s not an easy fix” because the benches are rubber coated and a part of the coating had been carved off.

He also told the council that a date had not yet been finalized for the city’s Hay Daze celebration but would be soon. He anticipated the festival would be held in October.

News, Pages 3 on 08/22/2012