Town of Mount Pleasant to Discuss Raising Water Rates

As part of our collaboration with Pace University’s journalism department, The Examiner News features student-reported stories like this one.

By James Steigerwald and EJ Speight

Public meetings this week will give some Pleasantville residents an opportunity to learn more about what could be dramatically higher water rates in the future. The Town of Mount Pleasant recently notified those residents of possible infrastructure improvements that would cost each household up to $300 per month over the next 30 years. This would affect roughly 800 households that currently get water from a private well or the village.

David Smyth is the Town Engineer and Superintendent of Water and Sewer. Last May, he sent a memorandum to the Town Board Members of Mount Pleasant outlining a study on the potential formation of water districts around the infrastructure projects. The full memo is available on the Mount Pleasant Water / Sewer website.

The memo explains that several residents have reached out to the town informing them various problems, including wells that had gone dry, costly repairs that were needed, and low water pressure. In response, the town hired consultants Manganaro Engineers to study the problem. Their findings included three alternatives for moving forward with improvements.

Smyth wrote in the memo that the town favors the first alternative.

“It would be beneficial to at least consider advancing the Alternative 1 recommendations as the costs are the lowest of the three alternatives and more realistic when considering the potential existing water main repair costs, failing drinking water well replacement costs, and firefighting protections improvements,” the memo stated.

Carmel Promisel lives in what is described as Area II in these new potential water districts.

Promisel said she understands the two main issues–underperforming water systems and failing wells–are costly to repair. Still, she said she and other residents are concerned.

“I don’t think it’s the concept that the residents are concerned about, I think it’s the cost. If these homes are suddenly paying $3,000 more a year to pay off the capital expense, are they gonna be more difficult to sell?”

Promisel said she thinks the town has been responsive to questions and concerns from residents.

“They have been extremely helpful with questions. Several residents in my vicinity including myself have sent a barrage of questions to them, and they have been very happy to give full and complete answers.”

Matthew Aiello-Lammens is an associate professor on Pace University’s Pleasantville Campus, and also lives in Area II.

“Unfortunately the way it works out in these well systems, if there’s a failure or if there’s a problem, the burden completely falls on the individual homeowner whose well failed,” he said.

“As opposed to when you’re in a municipal system and you share the burden. You could argue that this is moving towards that municipal system. But for the homeowners who own these homes for the next 30 years, there’s a much higher financial burden of putting in the system.”

He said creating water districts would be beneficial in the long term, but is financially straining in the short term.

“It would be very fair to homeowners in 31 years. But I don’t think it’s particularly fair to homeowners right now. But I don’t know that the situation can be fair for homeowners right now.”

Public meetings are taking place at the Town Hall Court Room located in at 1 Town Hall Plaza in Valhalla tonight and tomorrow to discuss these changes and answer any questions. More information is here.