Voters to consider sewer tax Aug. 5

The city's sewer system is a mess and something has to be done quickly before the state steps in and limits new construction in the city. That's the message city councilman Brian Leonard brought to the Nevada Lions Club Tuesday. "If the city continues to have problems with the sewer system and not upgrade it the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) has said that they would forbid the city from making any new connections, which would bring any civic expansion to a halt," Leonard said. The city proposal, to be voted on in an election Aug. 5, is to continue a one-half cent sales tax and to raise additional funds through revenue bonds. "The debt service on the bonds would be mostly paid with the sales tax revenue and the other funds needed could be raised by raising the sewer rates which would be offset by a decrease in the water rates. In other words the money would go to the dirty water instead of the clean water." Leonard said the problems with the sewer system were well known and had been for many years. "Everyone has known the sewer system needed fixing for 30 years. The problem has been the city bought the water system, which was in bad shape, and it needed upgrading, too. There simply hasn't been enough money to pay for both. Now that the water system bonds are being paid off we can finally turn our attention to the sewer system and take care of it." During the presentation Leonard pointed out that there are actually two types of sewers in Nevada, a sanitary sewer, one that takes the discharge from sinks, bathtubs and toilets and routes it to a treatment facility, and a storm sewer, one that takes the runoff from rain and routes into streams. The two systems are side by side and both leak. Rainwater can get into the sanitary sewer causing too much sewage to flow in it and backing up the overflow, sometimes into peoples' houses. Raw sewage from the sanitary sewer can leak into the storm sewer and bypass the treatment facility and flowing directly into streams, a dangerous condition that can transmit disease. Leonard said there will be two questions on the ballot August 5, the bond issue and the sales tax issue. "Fees currently bring in about $300,000 to $350,000 annually, the debt service on the bonds would be about $600,000 which is about what a one-half cent sales tax would bring in. We could use the proceeds from the sales tax to pay for the bonds. The bonds would fund a two year capital improvement project at the sewer plant and funds from the sewer fees would pay for continued improvements of the sewer lines over a twenty year period." Leonard pointed out that the system needs to be upgraded and putting it off could cost the city in lost development and lost job opportunities. "This is something that can't be put off, it has to be taken care of before the DNR steps in," he said.