Cadiz council swears in new members, tables water rate adjustments

The village of Cadiz held its first council meeting of the year Jan. 8, swearing in two new members and briefly discussing water and sewer issues.

New council members Alice Barr and Amy Ossman were sworn in at the start of the meeting. Ossman previously served as village clerk-treasurer.

The meeting lasted about 10 minutes and included no ordinances or resolutions. Council later entered executive session for legal matters.

Village Administrator Brandon Ludwig provided an update on work at the water plant, saying concrete was poured in filter No. 4 and the filter should be in service this week. Once that work is complete, he said the media in the other three filters will be replaced.

Council member Sal DeLuca raised the issue of scheduling water and sewer meetings, asking whether they should be held monthly or quarterly. He said the schedule should be established by next week.

During the meeting, a resident questioned why his water bill had increased, saying it rose to $122 at the start of the year despite having a new meter installed. Mayor R. Kevin Jones said his bill also increased.

“Rates have not changed,” DeLuca said.

Ludwig said he planned to ask council to table any rate increases or adjustments until all new meters are installed and the village has a few months of readings. Council later voted unanimously to table the issue until May 1, with DeLuca saying “at the earliest.”

“Rates won’t actually go up until the first full billing,” Ludwig said. “That will give us a couple months to re-evaluate.”

The next council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. The Cadiz Improvement Corp. meeting is also scheduled for Jan. 22, one hour before the council meeting.