Westminster Creates Advisory Board to Review City Finances

After eight months of bitter feuding and public criticism over water rates and the city’s economic health, the City Council has created a 10-member advisory committee to review its finances and determine the real cost of water delivery.

City Clerk Mary Lou Morey said the council appointed the committee members at its Tuesday night meeting, one week after narrowly voting to rescind a controversial water rate increase implemented in March.

The repealed hike doubled the price of water to $1.26 per 748 gallons and triggered an avalanche of protest. One group of residents started recall drives against Mayor Charles V. Smith and Councilmen Craig Schweisinger and Frank Fry Jr. for their support of the higher rate.

However, Fry recently joined Councilwomen Joy L. Neugebauer and Lyn Gillespie in opposing the hike, and supplied the swing vote needed to rescind it.

Citing the need for a rate increase, but one much smaller than 100%, the council decided to temporarily set the water rate at 73 cents per 748 gallons, 15% above the pre-March rate. The council will review the rate structure again after the advisory committee’s decision on whether the present rate is adequate.

The committee will also suggest money-saving measures and look into the possibility of making the water department private, Morey said.

Each council member named two people to the committee. Morey said the appointees were Earl French, Jim Evans, Dave Hughes, Doug Willingham, Nancy Feitner, Julie McCluny, Art Gandy, Dorothy Hendrickson, Ray Maggi and Bob Bertels.

The committee’s first meeting is tentatively set for Monday