After resignation, fate of rate hike unclear

PATTERSON — A proposed sewage commission rate hike for most of East St Mary Parish appears to be moving forward for now, but Mayors Rodney Grogan of Patterson and Duval Arthur of Berwick say they continue to wait for answers from the board commissioners.
Grogan said he and Arthur met with a member of the St Mary Parish Wards 5 and 8 Joint Sewage Commission on Monday to discuss a $1.50 rate hike that the commission approved last month.
“Patterson is moving forward with the rate hike, contingent on the commission’s decision to either keep it at $1.50 per 1,000 gallons of sewage, or lower the cost,” Grogan said.
After a public hearing on the issue at their October meeting, Grogan said the city council will vote.
Arthur said he would like a rate change, or a pause on the hike.
“The last rate study the commission contracted was 15 years ago. We do not have a concrete idea on what the charges should be,” he said.
“Legally, we are bound to do what they ask because of intergovernmental agreements, according to the parish charter. But there are many moving parts to these intergovernmental governmental agreements that they did not abide by.”
Arthur said for instance, the commission has not issued minutes to the participating cities in the agreements.
“There has been no consistent flow of minutes,” he said, further explaining that he has no record of their struggles and concerns.
Still, like Patterson, the Berwick Town Council agreed to introduce an ordinance at their meeting earlier this month, to ask for the sewage commission’s rate hike, in the event the commission will carry it forward.
Both mayors learned of the increase by letter last month, which was signed by Chris Cooper, the commission president. However, Cooper resigned Sept 11, inferring he was blasted at the Patterson Council meeting on Sept 2, while he was there to simply explain the reasons for the rate hike.
Contacted Wednesday by phone, Cooper said he would return a call for an interview. But by early afternoon, no calls were received.
Late Wednesday afternoon, another call was answered by an operator saying the number couldn’t be reached.
In a separate interview, Joint Sewage Commission 5 and 8 Board Member Timothy Kyle said Wednesday that he was the board member who met with Grogan and Arthur.
Kyle said Grogan, along with his team including Andrew Bienvenu, offered him a lot of insight into how the commission can apply for grants, something he was unaware of.
“I have been on the board since last October. The only training I received was on ethics, and nothing else. And I am no expert,” Kyle said.
“But what I can tell you is that our costs on electricity and chemicals are skyrocketing, not to mention the costs to put little Band-Aids on major sewage lines, and to buy replacement parts for our machinery,” he said.
Kyle said that before CLECO’s rate increase, the commission’s monthly utilities were close to $17,000. Now, they’re $25,000 or more per month.
“Our chemical costs are out of sight, due to tariffs. But we need them in order to rid the outflow water of harmful bacteria,” he said.
“I know Berwick residents have seen us repairing main sewage lines. It’s all repairs, nothing new. Repairs that we are doing with Band-Aids.”
Kyle also explained the woes the commission experiences when handling the commission’s 18 aerators, equipment that introduces oxygen to water in retention ponds, creating good bacteria. He said replacement parts cost between $30,000 to $100,000. And there are huge challenges in removing the aerators to be fixed, explaining a 100 ton crane may be necessary.
He said there are eight functioning aerators in the Berwick area, four on Cotten Road and six elsewhere in Patterson.
“We’re beta-testing a product right now that works off of solar power, but there is no time table on its results at the moment. Until then, we have to work with what we have.”
But Kyle said the commission has a surplus at the moment, however, if it has to cover serious emergencies, then there will be bigger problems.
“Yes, we can exist on what we have, but it will be tough. We will have to be very cautious. A crumbling infrastructure with breaks are costly,” he said.
Kyle said the Wards 5 and 8 Joint Sewage Commission has not met since Sept 4.