If your car is due a state inspection, what are your options? If you have bald tires, that creates an issue. You may only want a sticker, but, first, you must buy new tires. In the Town of Marlinton’s case, our vehicle in need of an inspection was a water plant. Our inspection took place onsite and we had “bald tires.” Going to another inspector was not an option. If we/the Town wanted to "keep running" our plant – we had to fix it. A few months ago, the hard decision was made to raise water rates. The new Step #1 water rate increase will begin January 1, 2018, and will be seen in the January/February billing. I keep hearing that "Marlinton has the highest water rates" in the area. Maybe even in the State. That is not a true statement. This week for your comparison, I share the following residential rates just recently received: 1. Town of Marlinton minimum water bill is .015 cent per gallon ($1/ day) 2. The Town of Belle minimum water bill is .0188 cent per gallon 3. The Greenbrier PSD, in area of Sam Black is .0190 cent per gallon When I ran the Central Service Station more than 20 years ago, kids would put a dollar on the counter for a candy bar or a soft drink and would not even take back the change. Now, the same generation is upset over the water rate increase. Consider: The Step #1 increase that will apply to the January/February billing is a new minimum bill of $66. This amounts to a 10-cent per day increase and will raise the new cost to .0165 cent per gallon. Remember, we're not building a new plant. We are upgrading what we have. When it is finished, it should serve us another 40 years. Happy New Year!
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