Clyde Park approves reduced water rate after public hearing; council adopts $77.91 monthly charge

Mayor Sydney Wiley and the Clyde Park Town Council concluded a second public hearing on proposed water-rate increases on Dec. 9 and approved a reduced rate intended to cover debt, operations and reserves. Bobbi Shular presented a rate analysis prepared with Clerk/Treasurer Stacy Mills that identified drivers for higher rates — debt service, operations and maintenance, staffing and reserves — and cited the Montana Code Annotated as a basis for municipalities to regularly review rates. The presenters said an initial $88-per-month estimate reflected using $50,000 from town reserves for a recent water-main project; stretching that replacement cost over two years reduced the immediate increase to about $77 and was later finalized at $77.91 for a 3/4" service line.

The hearing drew several public comments. Resident Vanessa Myrstol said her home had not been scheduled for the lead-and-copper survey despite leaving messages to arrange an inspection. Carla Williams told the council she remains concerned about the taste of her water even though she uses filters. Council member Brian Eckenrod reported that additional tests arranged after a prior meeting — including testing at Becca (Becca) Pinson’s home, which is near Williams’s house — returned normal results, a detail the council said was relevant to immediate safety concerns. Resident Richard Suisse said he drinks the tap water and called it "the best tasting of any place he’s ever lived," while attendees identified white residue at the bottom of a glass as likely calcium from hard water.

Council members debated options to soften the impact of the increase on people with fixed incomes. Eckenrod proposed creating a program to charge eligible residents by actual usage rather than the flat 4,000-gallon baseline; C/T Mills said some outside organizations that previously helped had dissolved and outlined two ways to handle fixed-income situations, including models based strictly on metered usage. After discussion, the council voted to approve the lower rate. Council member Roger Chandler moved to approve the new water rates; Council member Dave Sarrazin seconded the motion. The record states the motion was approved and passed.

The council also reported steps related to system maintenance and capacity planning: Great West Engineering is preparing a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) to evaluate leaks, additional water sources and maintenance needs; the PER was temporarily on pause but the council reported that an MCEP grant award will cover the PER. The town has scheduled a professional to install and calibrate a new chlorine analyzer quill at the wellhouse on Dec. 30, with Council member Eckenrod and CSO Bob Queen recording the calibration as part of ongoing operations.

The hearing was followed by formal council action to adopt the new rate. The council did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes beyond naming the mover and seconder and noting the motion passed. The public hearing portion of the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m. and the council proceeded with other agenda items.