Members of the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee received special recognition Feb. 6 in a joint meeting with the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners. The meeting was the last one for the advisory committee.

After discussions last year, the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners decided to discontinue the committee at the committee’s request and town staff’s recommendation. The ordinance to disband the committee is on the board’s Feb. 10 meeting agenda and will be effective at the end of February.

“The Water and Sewer Advisory Committee has been a valuable resource for staff and the board on policy decisions affecting our water customers and water fund,” Utilities Director Marie Strandwitz said about the decision. “With key policies now in place and functioning well, there are no major issues remaining for the committee to address in its current form.”

Recognition

Thursday evening, the mayor and town commissioners expressed gratitude for current and past committee members.

Mayor Mark Bell read a proclamation in recognition of the individual and collective contributions of the committee. He then presented each member with a printed proclamation. 

The current committee members are:

• Town customers — Grace Beeler, Mo Rasheed, Steed Robinson and Jenn Sykes
• Out-of-town customers — Daniel Rawlins and Barry Weston

History

In the early 2000s, a water and sewer advisory task force was formed after large rate increases were required to pay for the construction of the West Fork Eno Reservoir and make up for the loss of the town’s largest water customer, a textile mill that provided 25% of the town’s water and sewer revenue.

The members were tasked with evaluating the situation that led to the increases and the management of the town’s utilities operations and finances.

The task force then continued as a permanent appointed board composed of in-town and out-of-town water customers.

Over the years, the committee members have:

• Received reports on utilities operations and capital improvements. 
• Studied rate structures and learned about the legal framework for utilities rate structures in North Carolina.
• Advised the Board of Commissioners on policies including leak adjustments, billing, backflow prevention devices and drought management protocols.
• Provided suggestions for presenting information in utility bills.
• Shared information about the committee and the town’s water and sewer services at public events.
• Corrected misinformation or clarified questions shared on social media.

For the final meeting, the utilities director had prepared a list of long-serving past members of the advisory committee. As she read their names aloud, members and staff expressed appreciation for their contributions as well. 

“Those of us who have worked with the committee deeply appreciate the perspectives, recommendations and passion from both current and past members who have represented all aspects of our customer base,” Strandwitz said. “They’ve been and will continue to be great ambassadors of our utility.”