Water district merger issue to appear on April 8 election ballot

Two water districts in Vernon County are proposing to merge into one. Currently the largest, Consolidated Public Water Supply District No. 1, supplies water and equipment maintenance to the smaller, Consolidated Public Water Supply District No. 6. Vic Wolf, general manager of CPWSD No. 1, said combining the two would help serve water customers more efficiently.

"It would eliminate one board meeting, combines two boards into one and would give the people in VC 6 a lower rate per thousand gallons of water," Wolf said. "Right now they're paying a higher rate than we are and once we're combined they get our rate."

CPWSD No. 1 is the much larger district, with more than 3,000 active meters in service. It runs from just east of Deerfield south to just north of Moundville. Farther east the south boundary is B Highway east to the Cedar County line and the north boundary is the Bates County line.

"We're really bounded on the north and west by the river and VC 6 is Richards and Stotesbury and it is basically on the other side of the river," Wolf said. "It's a much smaller area, they have 250 active meters and they buy water from us and we do all their maintenance for them. We do virtually everything for them except have their board meetings."

In order to get on the ballot, the issue had to go before the Circuit Court, where a judge had to decree it was for the good of the public in order for the proposal to move forward. The court gave it the go ahead, and now the issue goes before the voters.

A majority of voters in each district must say "yes" to approve the measure.

"Both districts have to have a ballot issue, once that is done a simple majority of each district has to pass it," Wolf said. "Once that is done there is an election later in the year that will elect new directors for the consolidated district. It eliminates one of the boards, combines both groups together and basically the assets of both districts become one and it becomes a consolidated public water district."