EDINBURG NEWSLETTER
GREETINGS FROM THE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCILAh, Spring! We didn’t see much in the way of snow this past winter however I still thought it was a rather cold one. Thankfully we have had some rain in March and April to help with our lack of winter moisture. And there is nothing like a little rain to get the grass, and the weeds growing. As we all kick into gear for the mowing season; please remember not to blow your grass clippings into the street. In addition to being unsightly, this creates a real problem with the storm drains around Town; with blocking of grates and even clogging occurring. So please do your part to make Edinburg look better and assist in the maintenance of our storm drains. And if I can’t appeal to your community pride; I should point out that it is also against the Law to sweep or deposit waste materials in any gutter, street or other public place in Town. I talked about the Budget and specifically about the ever increasing burden of Water and Sewer expenses in our last Newsletter. The Budget has been completed for 2009-2010 and it was one of the hardest ones I’ve ever been involved in. Council struggled to keep expenses down while not decreasing the level of service our residents have come to expect. We have had to put a number of our Capital Projects on hold for the new budget year. These included things like sidewalk and equipment replacement. We were able to include a 1% pay increase for our fulltime employees. As a small town, Edinburg has never been a high paying place to work. We do the best that we can and I don’t believe any of the other towns can hold a candle to the great job all of our staff does. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear a comment about how clean Edinburg is or how you can always see our Maintenance Department working everyday around Town. Anyone visiting or calling the Town Office knows that they are going to be treated courteously and professionally. And the visibility and enforcement by our 3 man Police Department rivals departments of much larger size. There has been quite a bit of press coverage lately about pay cuts or no increases planned for staff of other communities. Edinburg’s employees realized that this would probably include them also. And while 1% isn’t much, Council hopes that it sends the message to our Employees that they are truly appreciated. The Public Hearing for the Budget will be held on Tuesday, May 12th at 7:15 PM. No increase in Real Estate or Property taxes is being proposed. The only increase in taxes proposed is in the Meals Tax. The towns to the north and south of us are currently collecting 5%. Edinburg has been at the 4% level for years and Council feels that an increase to put us in line with the other towns is warranted. At our current collection rate the increase will result in approximately $7,000. All other fees, licenses and taxes within the general operation of the Town will remain the same. Council did decide that something needed to be done to cover the expenses involved in Water and Sewer operations. The Minimum Monthly Bill will increase a total of $1 for Water and Sewer service in Town. Out of Town Customers will see a total increase of $1.50 for Water and Sewer. We have also looked at our Minimum Gallons. Over the years we have heard from a number of agencies that we should lower our 4,000 gallon monthly minimum. The reason for this is twofold. First it more properly charges those customers that use more water without larger increases to your smaller users. Secondly, it is an incentive to conserve water. Quite often we will ignore a dripping faucet or a running toilet not realizing how much water is being wasted. Comparing Edinburg’s Monthly Minimum Gallons with the other towns gave us a base to work from. Minimum Bills for the other Water Systems are based on the following minimum gallons: New Market-1,700 Gal. Mt. Jackson-3,000 Gal. Woodstock-2,500 Gal. Strasburg-2,000 Gal. Stony Creek-3,000 Gal. Toms Brook-2,000 Gal. Looking at the rate schedules for the other systems showed us how we compared in our fee for 4,000 Gallons of Water and Sewer. Based on the rates as of April 2009, 4,000 Gallons cost $40 in Edinburg. In New Market; 4,000 gallons will cost $60.97; in Mt. Jackson-$40.20; Woodstock-$66.72; Strasburg-$52.84; Stony Creek-$85.00; and Toms Brook-$66. Many of the above mentioned systems will also be increasing their rates in the 2009-2010 budgets. Council decided that we should lower our Monthly Minimum Gallons to 3,000 gallons. Based on our January 2009 billing, this will affect around a third of our total customers. Based on the increase in the Minimum Monthly Bill increase of $1 and the reduction of the Minimum Monthly Gallons; 4,000 gallons of Water and Sewer will now cost $48.20 in Edinburg. Out of Town customers will now pay $72.30 for 4,000 Gallons. To assist with the Debt Service for recent Water Improvements in the current Budget, the Council decided to make these changes effective with the May 1st water bills. An increase is also being proposed that will impact new development in the Town. Council is proposing to increase Water Tap Fees to $5,000 and Sewer Tap Fees to $10,000. Out of Town Fees will be 50% higher. This will put Edinburg in line with Mt. Jackson and Woodstock Tap Fees. Council has offered an extended build time of 24 months to anyone interested in purchasing Water and Sewer Taps at the current rates of $4,000 and $6,000 respectively before June 30, 2009. Normally someone would need to have a rough plumbing inspection completed within 6 months of purchasing a Tap Fee. If you know that you plan to build in Town within the next 2 years, this can save you $5,000 in your construction costs. We still have one more Water Improvement Project to complete. This is the Water Transfer Pump Station for the 200,000 gallon water storage tank. Some of you may recall that this is a project we have been working on for quite a while. The water tank was relocated from Shentel’s new office property on the north end of Town to the site of our elevated storage tank. Once completed, the Transfer Pump Station will allow us to manually pressurize our water distribution system when the elevated tank is taken out of service for any reason, and provide 200,000 Gal of additional storage. We have constructed the building that will house the pump adjacent to the relocated tank. This project was put on hold as we worked through the Water Treatment Plant Upgrade and it is estimated that it will cost around $75,000 to complete the Transfer Pump Station. We have applied for a $75,000 Grant through the Virginia Department of Health to fund this as part of the Stimulus Money that has filtered down to the State from the Federal Government. Council has decided that we will not complete this project unless we can secure grant funding or development picks up enough to pay for it with Tap Fees. As I reported last time, the members have requested that I mention the ARB in all of our Newsletters to remind residents about the Historic District Ordinance. The ARB’s regularly scheduled meeting is the second Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall. If you own property in the Town’s Designated Historic District and are planning renovation, addition or maintenance to your property, you may need to discuss it with the ARB. The purpose of the Historic District Ordinance and Guidelines is to maintain the architectural integrity of Edinburg’s Historic Resources. The ARB is in need of a new member. Bobbie Sainz has had to step down due to a family health issue. We all thank Bobbie for her assistance as we organized the ARB and wish her and her husband Manny all the best in the future. If you are interested in serving on the ARB, please contact the Town Office or one of your Council members. Every year around this time we all start thinking about doing some “Spring Cleaning”. To assist you with this, we will be doing a Large Trash Pickup for the week of May 18-22. The Town will have trucks circulating throughout Town all week to pick up old appliances, mattresses and those other large items that have outlived their usefulness. We will also be picking up old tires during this week from residences at no disposal charge. This is a great opportunity to clean up around your home; so mark the dates on your calendars. I don’t always get a chance to talk trash, so I think I will continue on the subject. The Town Code states that the Maximum Weight of any One Trash Container Shall Not Exceed 65 Pounds. We have heard from our Trash Contractor that some folks are exceeding this weight limit in recent months. We aren’t suggesting you haul your trash can up to the bathroom scale to check its weight. Rather, use some common sense when you are loading the can. Remember that someone has to physically lift your trash can and dump it in the back of a truck. If you have trouble dragging the can out to the curb, chances are it weighs too much. The Trash Contractor has the right to refuse to pick up anything that they feel exceeds the maximum weight. If you come home one day to a full trash can that wasn’t picked up, it is time to buy a second can. Or find another way to dispose of the rocks you picked out of the garden before tilling it for the new year. Moving from Trash to a more attractive subject, we will once again be planting the Urns along Main Street with beautiful flowers. Judy Beachy and Sue Harshman have agreed to plant the pots again this year. The Town Maintenance Crew will be responsible for feeding and watering. Although, if you happen to notice a wilted urn during some hot July weekend, please feel free to water it. The funding for the flowers this year is coming from three of our generous Edinburg organizations. The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, the Edinburg Heritage Foundation and the Edinburg Ole’ Time Festival have each given $150 toward the effort. We are grateful to each of these groups and to Judy and Sue for their efforts to make Edinburg look even better than it usually does. Work is progressing on the Edinburg Mill. We plan to have the facility open for the Ole’ Time Festival in September. The Visitor Center, Town Museum, Theater and Transportation Museum will be up and running. We will probably still be looking for additional retail tenants and a restaurant in September. Those portions of the building could also be open for touring during the Festival. We also hope to add to our “Mill Memory Walk” before the September opening. If you have been thinking about having your or your loved ones names included in the Walk, please stop by the Town Office to pick up a form. One last thing; remember that the Town Pool opens the weekend of May 23, 2009. Stop by and see how great it looks with the new plaster and tiled racing lanes. See you by the Pool! Your Mayor, Dan Harshman
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