Editorial

Don't go overboard with water rate increase

Saturday, October 11, 2003

When it comes to raising rates for McCook's largest water users, the City Council needs to proceed with caution, looking at the increase from all angles before taking final action.

Of the most concern is the proposed rate hike's effect on Parker Hannifin, the city's largest water user and one of the community's leading employers. According to figures distributed at Monday night's council meeting, the proposed rate increase for large water users would result in Parker Hannifin's current monthly charge of $5,497 being raised to $14,809. That would represent an increase of 169 percent, an amount of staggering proportions.

In these lean economic times, Parker Hannifin cannot accept such a massive increase. Instead of doing so, the company will implement recycling strategies that will limit water use. In fact, this is already being done. The engineering manager at the McCook plant, Don Owen, reports that the hose plant has more than cut water use in half since 2000 through conservation programs. Further cuts in water usage will be achieved this winter, he said, with a cooler allowing reuse of water, cutting water purchases from the city to nearly nothing in the winter months.

Down the road, if the new rates go into effect, Owen says Parker Hannifin would be forced to install a chiller, a step which would reduce water purchases from the city in the summer months as well.

In the long run, these approaches could benefit both Parker Hannifin and McCook by improving the hose plant's efficiency and reducing the city's water volume. But, as the council goes forward on water matters, they need to be in close communication with Parker Hannifin and other large water users.

A step in that direction was taken Thursday when City Councilman Dick Trail went to the Parker Hannifin plant to discuss the matter with Owen. Trail will present information from that session at the next council meeting, scheduled Monday, Oct. 20.

Yes, the city does have a dilemma. It has to find a way to pay for the increasing cost of providing water to the homes and businesses in the community. But, in their zeal to solve the problem, the council members can't afford to go overboard, causing more problems than they solve with excessive rate adjustments.

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