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Halifax County approves MOU with Weldon, moves $100,000 for water-treatment study despite rate concerns
Summary
The Halifax County Board of Commissioners voted to enter a memorandum of understanding with the town of Weldon to split the cost of a preliminary engineering report for a proposed water-treatment facility and to transfer $100,000 from capital reserves to the water department for the study and related services. Commissioners debated potential future rate impacts for rural customers.
The Halifax County Board of Commissioners on June 2 approved a memorandum of understanding with the town of Weldon to jointly pursue a new water-treatment facility and authorized a $100,000 transfer from the county’s capital reserve to the water department to fund a preliminary engineering report and related professional services.
County staff said the proposed MOU would fund a PER on a 50/50 basis with Weldon and would give the county detailed information about project options, costs and potential impacts on customer rates. Chris Williams and other staff said the PER will examine alternatives such as co-ownership, town ownership with reserve capacity for the county, and other delivery models.
Several commissioners warned the study could lead to long-term costs for rural water customers. One commissioner noted that residents had recently seen a 20% water-rate increase and said the county should not pursue projects that raise bills further without clear necessity. Supporters said the PER is needed to understand options and avoid dependence on a single water supplier.
The board voted to adopt the MOU and separately to transfer $100,000 from capital reserve into the current budget to fund the PER and associated legal and professional work. Commissioners said the transfer is intended to pay for preliminary work only and that any subsequent agreements or capital projects would come back to the board for approval.
Next steps include completing the PER, evaluating funding and rate implications, and returning to the board with an interlocal agreement and specific project proposals if the parties choose to proceed.
