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Allegany County officials report meetings with state, American Water; raise unpaid water-payment and capacity concerns
Summary
County staff recapped meetings at the Mako conference with Maryland agencies and American Water, saying American Water will analyze local systems but has not filed a rate case for a takeover and County officials flagged about $500,000 unpaid by a local water customer as a near-term budget risk.
Allegany County staff told commissioners they held a series of meetings at last week's Mako conference with Maryland officials and American Water to discuss local water-system needs, federal funding opportunities and other infrastructure concerns.
County staff said the meetings included representatives from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), and American Water. "They expressed to us that, they have a lot of work ahead of them," said Mr. Bennett, a county staff member who briefed the commissioners. He added that American Water told the county it has not filed a rate case with the Public Service Commission for the potential takeover affecting the county but does have a separate rate case for Bel Air and Harford County.
The county also raised a separate financial problem to MDE: about $500,000 the transcript records as owed to the county by an entity identified in the meeting as "Kony." Commissioner Jason (staff member) said the outstanding amount threatens the county's near-term financing, asking, "I was just wondering, because this is really gonna put us in a bond here in the near future real quick." According to the briefing, MDE officials were surprised the payment had not been made and said they had no ready program to recover the funds.
Nut graf: The meetings matter because they involved potential infrastructure work, state and federal funding conversations and a possible private operator (American Water). County officials said the aspects discussed — unpaid revenue, potential system upgrades and coordination with state agencies — could affect county finances and operations going forward.
County staff described American Water as willing to inspect and analyze the system before deciding what upgrades are needed and said the company had indicated willingness to participate in future public meetings. "They've made it clear to us again that they have no rate case in front of the PSC yet for this takeover," Mr. Bennett said. Staff emphasized American Water has not completed a system-wide due diligence analysis, so precise upgrade needs remain unknown.
Officials also reported meetings with the governor's office and federal contacts about other funding opportunities. Mr. Bennett said conversations included possible FEMA funding, River Park funding and potential demolition ("mill demo") funds. County representatives met with Dylan Goldberg from the governor's office and met with April McLean Delaney in her office to discuss federal funding prospects.
In addition to infrastructure and funding discussions, county staff reported outreach and promotion at the conference. The county brought Queen City Creamery to the event to promote a local business; the briefing said Rhiannon from Queen City Creamery served ice cream at the county booth.
The briefing closed with staff saying more information will follow as American Water and state agencies complete reviews. Officials did not provide a schedule for any formal public hearings or for when a rate case, if any, might be filed.
Ending: County staff said they will report back as the state and American Water complete analyses and as federal funding conversations progress.
