North Richmond News has the info regarding Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities upcoming community meetings. These meetings will discuss efforts to establish a Stormwater Utility Program to prevent neighborhood flooding in the future. More info via the city’s press release.

The meeting for our area will be held Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007, from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. at Mary Munford Elementary School Auditorium, 211 Westmoreland Street.

“There is a tremendous need to create a dedicated funding source to address the flooding and drainage issues that are prevalent throughout our community,” said the Mayor. “This revised proposal for a stormwater utility provides a reasonable solution to help prevent those issues in the future.”

The reductions in the water and wastewater rates will virtually offset the cost of the stormwater utility fee for one- and two-person households with an average monthly utility usage, while the rate reductions will help to minimize the cost of the stormwater utility program for larger households.

“We need to bring about equity among the customers of our public utilities so that individuals are only paying their fair share of the expenses, not subsidizing the cost for non-residential customers,” said the Mayor.

DPU Director Chris Beschler will lead the meetings, which will be held in each part of the City and are open to all citizens. Below is the date for the North Richmond meeting, and five other meetings scheduled around town

6:30 to 9:30pm - Henrico County candidates forum including board of supervisors and school board candidates for all magisterial districts. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, The Gallery, Basement Room 1, Maggie and Dimitri Georgiadis Hall, 1651 E. Parham Road. Sponsor: The Henrico Business Council. [via]

The ever-continuing water shortage issue has launched into overdrive with the latest restriction updates, courtesy of the Times-Dispatch.

Read more >

Henrico County could take a step next week toward mandatory water restrictions. The board of supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on an emergency ordinance that would authorize the county manager to require customers to restrict their use of public water if flows on the James River fall to certain levels, said Arthur D. Petrini, the county’s director of utilities. Mandatory restrictions, which also would apply to customers in Goochland and Hanover counties who get their water from Henrico, could be in place within one to three weeks if there is no substantial rain, he said. [via]

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a statewide emergency and enacted a ban on open fires beginning Friday, Oct. 19.

The statewide burning ban is the result of drought conditions that have created a serious risk of widespread and dangerous forest fires in every region of the commonwealth.

The burn ban will remain in effect until existing weather conditions improve with significant rain or snow. Violation of the law is a Class 3 misdemeanor with a fine of not more than $500.

Read more >

During a severe drought, a 28% discount for Richmond residential customers using over 74,800 gallons per month is proposed! Richmond’s minimum water/sewer fees to remain the highest of any city in the United States!

A new water/sewer rate structure advocated in a report submitted by Richmond’s Mayor Douglas Wilder would not correct Richmond’s inequitable residential minimum water/sewer rates, which remain the highest of any city in the nation. In fact, the report recommends that the minimum water bill be raised by an additional 19 cents per month while the minimum sewer bill would be reduced by only $1.03. The Mayor’s proposed minimum water/sewer service charge of $42.72 would be three times the minimum water/sewer bill of $14.05 charged by Henrico County, which purchases some of its water from Richmond.

The new water rates do not go far enough in encouraging conservation of this precious resource. Proposed during the serious Fall/2007 drought, the Mayor’s recommendation would offer a 28% high volume discount to those residential customers who use or waste MORE than 100 hundred cubic feet of water a month. By contrast, Henrico County offers a 38% discount for water and sewer customers who use LESS than 6 CCF per month.

Read more >

Henrico County now has a way for employees or citizens to report fraud in Henrico County government. The weblink, handled by Internal Audit, allows citizens to remain anonymous if they choose.

Perhaps all with the School Board is back on track…for now. Various options were offered by consultants at the meeting yesterday. Interestingly enough there is no deadline for the school board to take action on these options. Could the meeting have been all for naught?

Renovate some North Side schools; replace some in South Side.

Focus on elementary and middle schools now; high schools later.

[via]

Richmond is planning to change the sewer and water rates to shift the cost to the highest users and encourage conservation. This obviously affects commercial users such as St. Mary’s Hospital, UR, etc. however it should lower costs for residential users.

The city administration is proposing a five-year plan that would take effect July 1 and gradually equal the shares that different classes of water and sewer customers pay to support city utility systems. The plan is based on a new study that shows residential customers bear the overwhelming burden of the cost of providing water and sewer service in Richmond and, in some cases, in Henrico County.

[via]

If you’re interested in choosing your representatives for the State Senate and the House of Delegates, the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election is Tuesday, Oct. 9. Qualified residents of Virginia may apply for or change their voter registration at the Office of the General Registrar, Room 105, City Hall, 900 E. Broad St. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot through the mail is Tuesday, Oct. 30. For more information, call 646-5950.