Flat Rate

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A flat water rate was unanimously approved by the Bath Town Council after a public hearing Tuesday night. The flat rate of $8.77 per 1,000 gallons will give the Berkeley Springs Water Works, the town-owned water department, a 13.3 percent revenue increase. The increase will be used to pay the debt service on the upcoming $4.5 million loan to upgrade the water system and replace antiquated water lines, Bath Mayor Susan J. Webster said. Webster said the town hopes the rate will bring about "fairness to the constituents and businesses, conservation because of the limited source, and to raise revenue for the upcoming pipe replacement project.

Mercer Street bridge will become one lane BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - The bridge across Warm Springs Run on Mercer Street is to become a one-lane bridge, and part of it will be used for pedestrian walking, Mayor Susan Webster said Monday night at the Bath Town Council meeting. Webster said she met last week with West Virginia Department of Highways District Engineer Bob Amtower and Morgan County Superintendent John Coleman to discuss the possibility of adding a walking bridge across the waterway.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Another water line replacement project is needed and a preliminary engineering study will be done next year, Mayor Susan J. Webster said at Tuesday night's Bath Town Council meeting. Webster said the cost should be about $2.4 million, and a new water rate structure will help pay the debt. Pipes are leaking outside of town limits, she said, and repairs were made six times last week on Concord Street. Other areas on U.S. 522 South, Biser Street, Harrison Avenue and around Jimstown Road have leaking pipes, she said.

trish@herald-mail.com BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - With the good news that there may be an end to the water leaks in the Town of Bath's water system comes the bad news of the cost of the project and its impact on customers. With a cost of more than $1.8 million for the new pipes project, customers of the Berkeley Springs Water Works could soon be paying more for their water. Mayor Susan Webster said she proposed a flat rate per gallon increase instead of a 20 percent rate increase that was recommended by an engineering firm last month.

· The commissioners are to recommend a $3-per-square-foot tax rate for residential construction. · For commercial construction, the commissioners suggested two categories: retail and nonretail. Retail construction would pay $3 per square foot; nonretail would pay $1 per square foot. WASHINGTON COUNTY - The Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to recommend excise tax rates for residential and commercial development. The commissioners' recommended rates are higher than those suggested in a report by the Excise Tax Task Force, though the county's delegation to the Maryland General Assembly will have the final word on how the tax rate and structure are set. The commissioners reached a consensus Tuesday to recommend a $3-per-square-foot tax rate for residential construction.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- U.S. Silica Co.'s appeal to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) protesting a flat water rate was heard Wednesday, and members of the public showed up to protest a recommended rate increase alternative. Several local water customers attended the hearing and spoke against the PSC recommendation to increase the water rates instead of allowing the flat water rate that was proposed and passed a few months ago by the Bath Town Council. The flat rate of $8.77 per 1,000 gallons for the first 6,000 gallons would benefit smaller users, but would cost larger users a substantial increase.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The Martinsburg City Council on Thursday adopted an ordinance to increase garbage collection fees, which officials have said will help pay for new sanitation and recycling trucks, and cover the cost of increased dumping fees charged by the operators of the North Mountain landfill. None of the four residents who attended Thursday's council meeting offered any comment in a public hearing concerning the rate increase ordinance. Beginning July 1, residents who receive a discounted rate for paying their garbage collection bills within 20 days of the billing date will be charged $5.74 more per month, or an additional $68.88 per year, according to ordinance.

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Waynesboro MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Sewer rates are more than doubling in Mercersburg as of this week, driving up next quarter's average sewer bill from $55 to $90, Borough Manager Judy Chambers said Wednesday. Sewer bills are separate from water bills, which run the average resident $59 a quarter. The borough sewer authority voted 3-2 last week to increase the rates to help pay for the $3 million conversion of the bankrupt Mercersburg Tannery's sewage treatment facilities for the borough's use. Those facilities will be connected to the borough's existing system, which serves 700 households and businesses and is overloaded.

New stamp available on Saturday in Fairplay FAIRPLAY - Coaches and players from the Sharpsburg Little League team will be in full swing when they unveil "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" commemorative stamp at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, at Fairplay Post Office, 8215 Sharpsburg Pike. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase the new stamp. This Maryland stamp issuance commemorates the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," one of the most popular baseball songs.

Single statewide insurance rate debated By LAURA ERNDE laurae@herald-mail.com Baltimore residents who don't think it's fair that their car insurance costs are four times higher than those in Washington County are asking the Maryland General Assembly to set one statewide rate. continued But as premiums in the city would drop, those in rural parts of the state would rise by an average of 16 percent. That troubles many lawmakers, including Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, who believes it would be unfair to rural drivers who enjoy lower premiums because they have a lower rate of claims.

“All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” Those are the words of Donald Gardner's novelty Christmas song written in 1944 while he was teaching music to a second-grade class in Smithtown, N.Y. I've sung those words myself, with the usual “lisp” while awaiting new teeth to fill a gap in my smile. Today, in spite of the fact that I'm still missing a couple of teeth, my Christmas wish list is a bit more complex. I know that this holiday season is a season for giving; however, the child in us all more often than not remains hopeful that Christmas and the New Year will be a time when some of our wishes come true.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The Washington County Commissioners agreed Tuesday they were interested in offering a short-term incentive program to boost housing starts and bolster the local economy. Such an incentive program could either reduce the excise tax rate that builders pay per square foot or waive the excise tax for up to a certain square footage, said county permits and inspections director Daniel F. DiVito, who agreed to draft some options for the commissioners to consider at their Oct. 6 meeting.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The Martinsburg City Council on Thursday adopted an ordinance to increase garbage collection fees, which officials have said will help pay for new sanitation and recycling trucks, and cover the cost of increased dumping fees charged by the operators of the North Mountain landfill. None of the four residents who attended Thursday's council meeting offered any comment in a public hearing concerning the rate increase ordinance. Beginning July 1, residents who receive a discounted rate for paying their garbage collection bills within 20 days of the billing date will be charged $5.74 more per month, or an additional $68.88 per year, according to ordinance.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA. -- A water rate increase that would pay for a $4.5 million water line replacement project was unanimously approved Tuesday night by the Bath Town Council. The increase affects the customers of the town-owned Berkeley Springs Water Works and would not go into effect until after the water line project is finished, Mayor Susan J. Webster said. Phase 2 is scheduled to begin in August to replace leaking water lines outside the town limits and be completed in July 2010.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A first reading of a water rate increase ordinance that would pay for the upcoming $4.5 million water line replacement project was approved by the Bath Town Council. At Tuesday's meeting, Bath Mayor Susan J. Webster said the new rate would not go into effect until the project is finished. The 11-month project is to begin in August and is to be completed in July 2010. "This is to satisfy the debt service," Webster said of the rate hike, which will affect Berkeley Springs Water Works customers.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A first reading of a water rate increase ordinance that would pay for the upcoming $4.5 million water line replacement project was approved by the Bath Town Council. At Tuesday's meeting, Bath Mayor Susan J. Webster said the new rate would not go into effect until the project is finished. The 11-month project is to begin in August and be completed in July 2010. "This is to satisfy the debt service," Webster said of the rate hike, which will affect Berkeley Springs Water Works customers.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- U.S. Silica Co.'s appeal to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) protesting a flat water rate was heard Wednesday, and members of the public showed up to protest a recommended rate increase alternative. Several local water customers attended the hearing and spoke against the PSC recommendation to increase the water rates instead of allowing the flat water rate that was proposed and passed a few months ago by the Bath Town Council. The flat rate of $8.77 per 1,000 gallons for the first 6,000 gallons would benefit smaller users, but would cost larger users a substantial increase.

New stamp available on Saturday in Fairplay FAIRPLAY - Coaches and players from the Sharpsburg Little League team will be in full swing when they unveil "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" commemorative stamp at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, at Fairplay Post Office, 8215 Sharpsburg Pike. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase the new stamp. This Maryland stamp issuance commemorates the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," one of the most popular baseball songs.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - The Washington County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on proposed changes to the county's excise tax ordinance on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The hearing will be held in the commissioners' meeting room in the Washington County Administration Building at 100 W. Washington St. in Hagerstown. Any changes to the ordinance would take effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. An excise tax is levied on new construction and is meant to fund infrastructure improvements to accommodate development.