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Highlands Today

SEBRING CITY COUNCIL BRIEFS: More Sewer Service Issues At City Hall

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: December 6, 2008

SEBRING - The Sebring City Council approved an escrow agreement Tuesday with Highlands Utilities Corp., setting aside $300,000 of the purchase price after the seller was not able to complete two issues prior to the closing on Nov. 20.

According to the agreement, Highlands Utilities had yet to provide a survey of each lift station confirming and documenting the location of lift stations and verifying acceptable access.

Also Highlands Utilities had not yet removed additional sludge as required by the Department of Environmental Protection and pay for the cost to disc/rotovate (till) the bottom of the percolation ponds when they became dry.

Highlands has until March 20, to complete this work. The $300,000 was set aside to pay for the work.

•At the city's Oct. 7 council meeting, the council approved a contract to purchase Highlands Utilities Corp., and on Oct. 21, the council approved a resolution that the purchase was in the city's and the public's best interest.

•Council passed a resolution on Tuesday adding $259,466 to its 2008/2009 operating budget to include the $213,466 it needed to operate the system and $46,000 it needed to repair and construct perimeter fences.

•Council voted 3-1 to approve the approximately $704,000 purchase of the Sebring Airport Authority's water and sewer assets Tuesday. Councilman Scott Stanley cast the dissenting vote.

•The city will pay off an existing loan from USDA Rural Development with money loaned to the utility department from the general fund at 5 percent interest, amortized over 10 years with a balloon at 5 years.

The money will come from a fund earmarked for long-term cemetery care of about $900,000 currently earning 2 percent that will be needed after all of the cemetery plots are sold.

"And will not be needed in the immediate future," according to an agenda item.

The decision was described as a win-win situation, as the utilities department will get the funds the city is holding for the future cemetery use and will return the money back to the cemetery fund at a higher interest rate.

•The Sebring Airport Authority water and sewer systems purchase was also on the table in the form of an amendment.

The original agreement stipulated that the city would charge the authority's rates for five years and then revert to city rates.

The revised agreement stipulated that the city would charge the authority's rates until such a time that the city's rate equals or exceeds the airport authority's rates, removing the five year limit.

Council also amended its SAA agreement by leasing 72-plus acres the wastewater treatment plant currently uses as spray fields. Once the wastewater treatment system is interconnected with the city's system, the lease will be terminated and the land will remain with the airport authority.

There will be no rent paid during the terms of the lease. However, the city is obligated to undertake certain demolition concerning the wastewater treatment plant on the site.

•Council also approved a rate schedule for the Sebring Airport and Industrial Park service area.

Council also approved a resolution amending the 2008/2009 budget for critical upgrades to the Sebring Airport Authority water treatment plant for telemetry costing $37,247; the wastewater collection system's telemetry for five lift stations and a signal repeater, at $48,300; and a conversion from chlorine gas to sodium hypochlorite at the wastewater treatment plant, at $9,500 and a four-by-four pickup truck and trailer for $27,018.

The total budget amendment totals $122,065.

•The city's auditors, Wicks, Brown, Williams & Company, presented two letters of engagement, one for its upcoming 2007/2008 audit at a fee not to exceed $44,000 for the audit and $13,000 for preparation of financial statements, and the second for non-audit services not to exceed $5,000.

•Council also passed a resolution amending its commercial garbage collection fees, increasing them by 3 percent.

•Councilman Stanley also voted no to ordinance 1269 amending the city's comprehensive plan regarding school concurrency, which passed 3-1 on second reading.

In August, council passed on first reading the city's comprehensive plan regarding school concurrency.

After a review by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), its objections and recommendations were received by the city on Oct. 23. Michael Joachim Associates, the city's planning consultant revised the plan to include the Highlands County School Board's five-year work plan and data and council voted on the revisions.

Stanley stated it potentially gave power of the city's growth to a board outside of the city.

"They don't want growth to happen without the infrastructure being there," said city Administrator Scott Noethlich, speaking of the DCA. "The intent is to be able to provide service for controlled growth.

Impact fees are earmarked to help pay for the impact of the new growth, Noethlich added.

•At the close of the meeting the council appointed a committee consisting of Mayor George Hensley, Council President Bud Whitlock, and City Clerk Kathy Haley, to begin the process of finding a replacement for Zoning Supervisor Gary Lower, who will retire on Dec. 31.

Joe Seelig can be reached at 863-386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com .

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