Lock Haven City Council Roundup
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN— The Lock Haven City Council met Monday evening and approved a $38,300 agreement with Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. for a 10-year sewer rate study aimed at addressing growing financial needs and infrastructure improvements. City Manager Greg Wilson provided an update on the William T. Piper Memorial Airport’s Through The Fence agreements, and approval was granted for an agreement between the city and the county planning department for an environmental review of the future Lock Haven Police Department Headquarters building project. All council members were present for the meeting, with council member Tami Brannan attending via Zoom.
Under “Unfinished Business,” the city council considered an agreement with Raftelis for a 10-year sewer rate study, which is set at a fixed price of $38,300.00. Raftelis is the financial consulting company that was hired by the city to conduct the recent water rate study, which resulted in increased water rates for residents who receive their water services from the city.
At the request of City Manager Greg Wilson, Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. provided a comprehensive proposal to conduct the sewer rate study for the city. On a motion for approval made by Council Member Masorti, seconded by Vice President Steve Stevenson, and carried unanimously, the sewer rate study agreement between the City of Lock Haven and Raftelis was approved.
The study spans five fiscal years from 2025 to 2029, and it entails three major components:
1. A financial forecast of the system’s revenue needs over the next five years, from fiscal year (FY)
2025 to FY 2029.
2. A cost-of-service evaluation for the city’s sewer system, which will distribute the system’s operating and capital costs based on main activities (e.g., processing flow volumes and customer service) and allocate these costs to different customer classes.
3. A review of the current sewer rates, which will include calculating the latest high-strength surcharges and hauled waste rates, projecting user rates and charges under the current rate structure, and preparing a similar projection of sewer rates under one alternative rate structure.
Raftelis anticipates completing the proposed work within four months of receiving notice to proceed. This timeline is an estimate based on the receipt of information from the city and the availability of city staff for virtual meetings and workshops.
Raftelis proposes completing this scope of work at a fixed price of $38,300.00. The consulting company provided a breakdown of the costs based on tasks to be completed:
Project Kick-Off and Data Review: $3,700.00
Revenue Requirements and Customized Financial Plan: $8,900.00
Cost of Service Evaluation $11,200.00
Rate Calculations and Projections $8,200.00
Presentation of Results: $6,300.00
Total $38,300.00
City Manager Greg Wilson said that as part of last year’s annual budget, the city council recognized that a sewer rate increase or an assessment of the current sewer rates would be a wise decision. He reported that Raftelis will look at improvements that need to be made over the next few years and help the city set the appropriate rates during that time period.
The proposal shows a 10-year model, with FY 2029 through 2034 projecting figures based on the sewer rate study results from FY 2025 to 2029.
Also under “Unfinished Business” was an update on the William T. Piper Memorial Airport’s Through The Fence (TTF) agreement.
On June 7, 2024, City Manager Gregory Wilson updated the City Council on recent developments in airport planning and compliance with federal regulations. During the annual airport planning session hosted by the PennDOT Bureau of Aviation on June 5, the city’s Airport Advisory Committee reviewed and discussed several ongoing and future projects, including the self-fuel installation and access road paving. The Airport Advisory Committee also considered the rehabilitation of the hangar 1 apron and the rehabilitation of the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS).
Wilson stated in his update that a significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussions around completing Through The Fence (TTF) agreements, which the city is required to obtain from six individuals in order to adhere to FAA standards and ensure continued funding for the airport. “Copies of those agreements as issued Friday, May 31, 2024, were provided to the Bureau of Aviation (BOA). Also provided were other documents including the Piper Aviation Museum’s correspondence from its solicitor.” Wilson reported.
Discussions during the airport planning session also highlighted the Piper Aviation Museum’s eligibility for a reduced rate due to its non-profit status, a decision that will be made by the BOA.
Wilson also noted in his update, “The FAA and BOA also were forwarded the most recent letter of June 5 from Nils Sea Plane owner, Nils Mantzoros, to the city solicitor.”
Changes to the standard FAA agreement that have been requested by several TTF entities since January 2024 have caused delays. “Because of the number of changes requested by the TTF entities, the city needs to wait for confirmation from the FAA and BOA that the edits are compliant with their standards,” Wilson said in the update. The FAA and BOA are currently reviewing these changes, along with proposed rates of $210 per month for commercial TTF entities and $180 per month for residential TTF entities. The FAA and BOA are also reviewing a reduced rate offered to the Piper Aviation Museum to see if they will accept those rates as compliant.
“When the city receives its response from the FAA and BOA review, it will make the adjustments required by those agencies and provide the final, approved agreements to each of the 6 TTF entities,” Wilson stated. The FAA will meet with each entity to ensure they understand the agreement and FAA requirements, ensuring compliance with federal regulations.
Under “New Business” was the consideration of an agreement between the City of Lock Haven and the Clinton County Planning Department for services to conduct an environmental review for the Lock Haven Police Building project. An environmental review is required by the USDA in order to receive funding for the project. The maximum cost for this review is $1,800.00, and the city will incur additional costs for advertising, Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments, Specialty Studies (income surveys, T&E, noise study, flooding H&H, wetland delineating, archeological), Permits, Design or Survey, and materials testing.
The city will pay the county planner/engineer for services performed on an hourly rate basis according to the following schedule of rates applicable to each designated staff category:
Planning Director/County Engineer: $85.00/hr
Director of Geographic Information System (GIS): $65.00/hr
Grant Specialist $44.00/hr
Planner $34.00/hr
Administrative Services $30.00/hr
GIS Technician $55.00/hr
On a motion for approval made by Council Member Masorti, seconded by Council Member Brinker, the agreement passed with Council Members Alexander, Brannan, Conklin, Brinker, Masorti, and Stevenson voting in favor and Mayor Joel Long voting in opposition.
Council Member Richard Conklin provided statements regarding the police building project and the work that Abbey Roberts, City Planner and Development Coordinator, had done to procure grant funding. “Abbey and her team have gone above and beyond to find additional funding for projects in our city [through] grant funding that does not need to be repaid,” he said. “I believe that we, the City Council, need to recognize and show our appreciation for the $1M that she was able to acquire through the grant money at the Senator’s office.”
The next Lock Haven City Council meeting will be held on Monday, July 1, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are held at City Hall in Council Chambers.
