Pender County Utilities presents five‑year budget, unified rate proposal and staffing plan

Pender County utilities staff presented a five‑year budget and operational plan to the Board of County Commissioners, asking the board to approve a set of already‑adopted and proposed changes to rates, fees and organization. The presentation summarized recent capital and staffing work, a shift to a single countywide base metering rate, rollout of automated meters and a proposed staffing and pay‑structure revision.

In the presentation, the utilities director (presenter) said the proposed operating budget “uses the same numbers from last year” but asks the board to allow implementation of fees written into a 2017 county ordinance that staff say were not previously charged, including a $50 after‑hours call fee and inspection fees (around $75). Staff reported a current reserve balance of about $10,940,000, and described past internal transfers that have affected fund balances: a $2,000,000 transfer from the water fund into the sewer fund in 2024 related to a wastewater treatment plant serving Pender Commerce Park, and an earlier use of roughly $365,000 from the solid waste fund to cover utilities operator costs.

Staff described capital work now under way or completed: cleanup and mixers installed in elevated tanks to improve chlorine residuals, construction/rehab of a regional sewer pump station at Rocky Point with a $600,000 allocation, completion of a Maple Hill facility for a long‑time operator, and other equipment and asset‑management upgrades. Staff said the regional pump station should be running the week after the presentation and that the temporary bypass pumps will be removed.

On rates, staff explained the move away from legacy district pricing toward a uniform base meter rate based on meter size; examples cited: a prior three‑quarter‑inch base that had varied by area ($27.50 vs. $32.50) is being aligned at $32.50 for three‑quarter‑inch meters countywide. Staff also proposed a new monthly service availability fee for larger meters (1½‑inch to 8‑inch) aimed at recovering the cost of large master meters and associated replacements; staff said some commercial customers with large meters currently impose replacement costs on the system. Staff said system development fees and inspection charges will be directed into an account intended to fund new water line extensions, and gave an illustrative figure of about $947,000 per mile for new water main construction including hydrants, valves and design.

Staff said a customer‑facing portal will be enabled after the 2025 rollout of automated metering infrastructure (AMI) and that AMI will reduce overtime by detecting leaks earlier. Staff outlined a hierarchy and pay‑alignment plan intended to reduce salary compression and turnover; they reported the utilities organization had 42 positions, large turnover in recent years, and that the department is moving to align pay scales with nearby employers such as Brunswick County and New Hanover County. Staff asked the board to approve the proposed reclassifications and to begin applying fees that staff said already exist in county ordinance but have not been charged in practice.

Commissioners asked for more data on overtime drivers and on the timing and scope of capital projects. Finance staff and the presenter described quarterly reviews with the county’s finance team and with Davenport to improve forecasting. Commissioners pressed for clearer grant and legislative advocacy after staff described an unsuccessful CDBG application for Columbia Union and said they had been advised previously to defer outreach while other county priorities pursued state discretionary funds. Commissioner remarks repeatedly urged coordination between utilities, the county manager’s office and the county’s lobbyist to pursue state and federal funding and to consider targeted legislative districts or economic districts to reflect lower‑income areas for grant scoring.

Staff emphasized they were not requesting a net increase in the utilities operating ask and that no new debt was proposed; rather the presentation focused on rate structure changes, applying existing ordinance fees, completing capital projects already in motion and aligning staffing and pay. The presenter said the board had previously approved a unified water usage base rate and urged the board to allow enforcement of the after‑hours and inspection fees spelled out in the 2017 ordinance.

No formal board action was taken during the presentation; commissioners asked staff for follow‑up information on overtime patterns, detailed project schedules and documentation of the prior transfers and reserve balances described by staff.