MetCom employee DuWayne Potter speaking in favor of across-the-board Step increases.
Lexington Park, MD — A relatively low turnout at the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) budget public hearing featured seven speakers during the public comment section. Topics at the hearing at Bay District VFD ranged from the commission’s proposal to limit staff step increases to complaints about existing rates and praise for the proposal to lower some residential rates.
Five of the seven MetCom members, including chairman Steve Willing, attended the meeting and sat at a table up front but did not speak.
The commission is proposing to give a one-percent cost-of- living adjustment (COLA) to all employees except their attorney, but to limit step increases only to those in grade 13 and below (The Bay Net in an earlier story erroneously reported that the increases would be limited to Step 15 and below). Top salary in Step 13 is $59,880.
Veteran MetCom employee DuWayne Potter complained about the decision to limit the step increases and asked for them to be imposed across the board. Potter called the decision “arbitrary.” He said it was hard to take for employees who are professional and “take pride in what we do.” He also called the action “haphazard and unfair.”
Potter said the average salary in the county is $62,000, more than the cutoff for the Step increase. He said employees on base generally make more than MetCom employees. He said a study by the county commissioners showed that MetCom salaries were comparable to county government. All county employees are getting a step increase
“If you tell me I don’t deserve a pay increase because I make too much money that is ludicrous and offensive,” Potter said.
The budget calls for a major change in how rates are assessed, with more of an emphasis on how much water is consumed instead of with the previous flat rates.
The rate change was based on a consultant’s study. The budget proposes to implement the rates in that study. According to Chief Financial Officer Becky Shick (shown above) during a presentation at the hearing, the commission rates must be sustainable by providing “a fair and equitable distribution of costs to customers and promote resource conservation.”
The new rate structure has a combination of a fixed “Readiness to Serve Charge” and a fee based on usage. Very low usage for residential customers could save them as much as 30 percent over their existing rates.
At the hearing William Watts said he didn’t use MetCom’s service yet pays because he has a connection. “I have a problem paying for something I don’t use.” Later in the hearing Linda Thomas of Lexington Park called that situation “unethical and it’s wrong. It’s just not right.”
Commission staff has said previously that the readiness to serve charge and a monthly system improvement charge are necessary to cover the infrastructure cost of providing potential capacity to customers, whether they are using the service now or not.
Other testimony included Joe Gardiner, who said rate increases should be capped at the rate of inflation.
Christine Norris said she moved to St. Mary’s from Baltimore County. “Frankly I was appalled at what I pay for water and sewer in this county.” She said fees in Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County are lower.
Thomas also called on the commission to hire more minority employees.
The commission operates 28 water systems, 70 wells, 16 elevated water tanks, five owned and operated sewage treatment plants, two plants operated by them but owned by others, and 63 sewage pumping stations.
The proposed water division budget is $5.2 million; sewer division budget is $9.5 million; and engineering division budget is $334,818. Those three divisions are wrapped into a General and Administrative budget, with costs for each division apportioned for salaries, etc. Overall budget of $5.4 million is up from the current year’s $4.7 million.
Proposed capital budget for the next fiscal year is $9.7 million or $6.5 million less than the current fiscal year.
The commission will leave the record open for written testimony until April 13 at 4:30 p.m. Written comments can be sent to MetCom’s Administrative Office at 23121 Camden Way, California, MD 20619 or can be emailed to budget2016@metcom.org.
Contact Dick Myers at news@thebaynet.com
Pictured below the MetCom members attending the public hearing
