Albion may run Elba’s sewer plant

Village already does work for Holley

ALBION – The village could add another municipal contract for providing sewer services, which will bring in revenue for the village and also help a neighboring community meet standards for providing the service.

The village of Albion may take over managing Elba’s sewer plant and a water well on Oct. 10. The contract proposal calls for Albion to be paid $34,320 for the work.

The village would do the job with its existing three-person sewer crew. Rick Albright, the sewer plant chief operator, would assume most of the extra work. He is in a salaried position.

Albright said Elba is just looking for a one-year deal. The community expects to hook into a sewer and water district, Batavia North, in about a year.

The Camden Group currently provides sewer services for Elba, but the company has given notice it will discontinue working with Elba on Oct.10, Albright told the Village Board on Wednesday.

Village Attorney John Gavenda wants to review the contract. It’s a little different from the agreement with Holley, which started on June 1. Albion is paid $63,000 annually to provide the personnel for running the sewer plant. In Holley, Albion doesn’t have to work with Holley’s water system.

The agreement with Holley cut that village’s sewer costs by $30,000 in an annual operating expenses. The Holley agreement was initially for three years but Albright said Holley wants to extend the deal to five years.

Albright said he sees a talented workforce in the village that could be used in other communities, helping those municipalities while bringing in revenue for the village.

“We could expand village services,” he told the Village Board on Wednesday. “The sky is the limit. How far do you want us to go?”