PROACTIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING IN A SMALL COMMUNITY

The City of Knoxville, Iowa is a community of 7,731 located in south central Iowa. The City maintains 48 miles of sanitary sewer collection mains, ranging in size from 6” to 36” in diameter. The City's treatment plant, last updated in 1985, treats an average of 1.5 mgd and has a capacity of 4.48 mgd.Knoxville's first sanitary sewer mains were installed in 1903. Through 1995, the City's approach to the collection system and treatment plant was reactive. The normal view of the lowest rates possible was the prevailing approach to the method used to fund maintenance of the collection system and treatment plant. Rates were adjusted only when funds were needed to address an immediate issue.While this method had worked for many years it was apparent that the City's aging collection system was going to require larger expenditures for maintenance in the future. Over the last few years City staff, with great support from the City Council has evaluated the rate structure and made many changes to address the needs of the collection system and treatment plant in the City of Knoxville. Staff looked at the many areas of wastewater treatment and planned for both current and future needs. Cost estimates were prepared to fund these needs and the rate structure was adjusted to cover the anticipated costs for 30 years into the future. The results of this work provided an in-depth look at the City's treatment system and a planned approach to both current and future maintenance of the system.