PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — After a Monday morning meeting and unanimous vote, the Wood County Commission opted to end discussions with West Virginia American Water, who was looking into purchasing their local public service districts.
More than 50 people attended the meeting Monday where the water company laid out their plan to purchase the services to the Wood County Commission. The commission voted the proposal down.
Commissioner David Blair Couch said the rate increase proposal from West Virginia American Water to the Public Service Commission was a factor into their decision.
“We know that if we would’ve sold our water systems, it would’ve ended up raising the rates for all ratepayers in West Virginia,” Couch said.
The town of Milton also recently rejected an offer from the water company on purchasing the city’s water systems.
Commissioner Robert Tebay added that he didn’t want local water to be controlled by an outside company. Commissioner Couch agreed, but he also said he was more concerned about the rates being higher.
“It was more a concern of the rates being a lot higher than they are, and we need to keep a control on rates, this isn’t the right environment for people to be paying more for their water and their sewage.” said Couch.
The commissioner did give credit to the water company for some water systems they’ve taken over that Couch called, “poorly operated.”
“They can come into a service and really invest a lot of money,” Couch said about West Virginia American Water.
In order to lower costs, the commission is still looking at consolidating the public service districts.
Couch said they have two public service districts that they get to rate-make: Lubeck and Claywood Park. The other three public service districts in Wood County are rate-made by the Public Service Commission.
A public hearing will be held Thursday, May 18, on proposed rate increases for Lubeck and Claywood Park PSDs.