BOUNTIFUL -- The Bountiful City Council passed a tentative $48 million budget for the 2004 - 2005 fiscal year, and set a public hearing date for budget consideration.
The budget public hearings to reopen the 2003 - 2004 budget will take place June 8 at 7:15 p.m., and the public hearing to consider the 2004 - 2005 budget will take place that same evening at 7:45 p.m. The hearings will take place at Bountiful City Hall.
While looking through the budget, city leaders expressed concerns for the proposed 10 percent water and power rate increases.
Power rate increases for Bountiful City Light & Power (BCLP) have been on the horizon for some time, the threat coming from lower water levels due to drought, and the heavy reliance BCLP has on hydroelectric power generation.
City Manager Tom Hardy explained that even with the rate increases, the city would be competitive with Utah Power rates, although a growing threat looms with the continuing drought.
"Within three years, there's the potential of seeing Lake Powell (Glen Canyon Dam) being unable to generate power," Hardy said.
"It's not like Pineview or Echo where a couple of good (rain) years will (adequately fill the reservoir). Lake Powell is big and has a lot of reservoir to fill."
He explained that it could take 15 - 20 years of normal rainfall to refill Lake Powell.
BCLP gets 60 percent of its power from Glen Canyon dam.
Water rate increases, Hardy said, come from rate increases from some city sources, where EPA requirements have necessitated the source to raise its rates 50 percent.
However, the distribution of sources from which Bountiful receives its water (60 percent coming from underground water, so pure there's no need to chlorinate it), mitigates the increase to only 10 percent.