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Council authorizes WDA payments, approves change order and shifts cell-tower revenue to water fund
Summary
Harpers Ferry council approved final payments and a balancing change order for the West Virginia Water Development Authority-funded distribution project, agreed to transfer cell-tower revenue to the water utility for fiscal 2025, and heard a staff report showing reduced nighttime tank losses after distribution work.
The Harpers Ferry Town Council on July 14 approved final invoices and a balancing change order for the town’s water-distribution project funded in part by the West Virginia Water Development Authority and directed the fiscal-year transfer of cell-tower revenue to the waterworks budget to bolster utility cash flow.
Council adopted Resolution No. 9 authorizing payment of invoices totaling $210,589.39 related to the WDA-funded distribution project: $190,850.78 from WDA funds and $19,738.61 from CNB construction trust funds. The council then approved Change Order No. 2, which reduced the construction contract by about $94,000 to reconcile unit prices after the distribution lines were completed. Both measures passed unanimously, 6-0.
Town staff told council that, after consultations with the town’s water attorneys, the lawful mechanism to support the water utility directly from general-fund resources is an annual transfer of cell-tower rental revenue (the towers are on town-owned water tanks). Budget revision materials for fiscal 2025 will move roughly $66,000 of cell-tower revenue into the waterworks fund for the year; council approved the concept during the July meeting and approved the May financial reports.
Finance staff also reviewed revised budget items and said the water billing income stands at about 93.4% of budget for the year (the report covered the period through May, about 92% of the fiscal year). Staff said some expense lines appeared over budget in May but would even out after the cell-tower transfer is recorded in a forthcoming water revision.
Public works staff reported progress on the distribution project and said a preliminary comparison of nightly tank outflow before and after the distribution work suggests a reduction in unaccounted-for water. An informal analysis compared February 2025 to June 2025 nightly outflow rates and showed an approximate 30% drop in the measured nighttime drainage (from roughly 5,250 gallons/hour to about 3,750 gallons/hour), which staff said likely reflects fewer system losses after mains replacement and other repairs. The town’s overall nonrevenue water rate—dependent on meter accuracy, leaks and other factors—was not recalculated at the July meeting because June meter reads were not yet available.
Why it matters: The WDA payments and change order close out major distribution construction; the cell-tower revenue shift is intended to ease near-term water utility cash constraints while the town completes meter upgrades and other projects. Councilors approved the payments and change order unanimously and directed staff to proceed with the budget adjustments and remaining restoration tasks.
Action summary: Resolution No. 9 (approve invoices) — passed 6-0. Change order No. 2 (balance & reduce contract by ~$94,000) — passed 6-0. Financial reports for May 2025 — approved 6-0.
