Council discusses CPST funding for NCWSA

NEWBERRY — The third reading for an ordinance which would approve terms of an intergovernmental agreement between Newberry County and the Newberry County Water and Sewer Authority was tabled to the November 6 meeting to allow Council make to revisions to the ordinance after hearing from the community during last week’s Council Meeting.

The NCWSA Board and other members of the community spoke during the public hearing on the importance of supporting the project, which will include upgrading and expanding the Cannon’s Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant at a cost of $5,154,560. These improvements are one of 12 Capital Project Sales Tax projects that were listed on the 2022 Referendum.

NCWSA Manager Brent Richardson said while the goal and scope of the project has not changed, the amount to complete the project has. He said due to inflation and factors such as an increase in site work, the estimated cost has now increased by $4,462,231 since the 2022 Referendum.

“The original cost was almost half of the referendum,” said Councilman Less Hipp.

Hipp added that the original quote was so low and said approving the third reading would be unfair to CPST moving forward.

Hipp proposed to Council funding half of what NCWSA is asking with the anticipation that at the end of the other projects (and seeing as though there is funding to do so) to pay for the remaining half of the project.

Richardson said the project will not only benefit those in the area of the water treatment plant, but all of Newberry County. Some of those areas include the School District of Newberry County, local churches, the Bush River community and the Town of Prosperity.

Chairman Todd Johnson proposed putting some sort of agreement together so the remaining CPST projects would remain protected.

Council was on board with taking more time to review the ordinance and meet with the Board and engineers for the project to find a way to come to an agreement.

“We need to show the public we’re being good stewards of their money,” Hipp said.