WASHINGTON The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has asked the Prince Georges and Montgomery County councils to allow the utility to expand its five-year, $631 million capital budget by $18.5 million to provide water and sewer connections to a housing development in Prince Georges, according to agency officials.
Commission members met Sept. 29 and later requested that the councils jointly approve a budget increase when they next meet in the spring, said acting deputy manager Thomas Traber. Both counties councils would have to agree to the increase.
The commissions effort to increase its budget comes as the bi-county agency struggles with opposition both outside and inside the organization.
Infighting led the WSSCs six-member board to delay several construction projects from February until September, and recent agency shakeups have led former members to suggest that the leadership distribution be reorganized.
According to Traber, the agencys problems have sparked concerns of state-level intervention, and the General Assembly is reportedly set to consider a number of bills during its next session that could change the way the triple-A rated utility is run.
Several different delegates have proposed changing the structure of [the WSSCs] governance, he said.
In August, county legislators suggested restructuring the boards leadership to improve management at the WSSC. The utility, composed of three members appointed by Prince Georges County Executive Jack B. Johnson and three by Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, has faced accusations of mismanagement, conflict of interest, and partisanship issues in recent months.
All three Montgomery County commissioners have resigned in recent months, and the board is also looking to replace former general manager John Griffin and his former deputy manager, Michael Errico.
In an effort to find replacements quickly, Duncan issued a press release this week seeking applicants for the three vacant commissioner seats. One vacancy is for a partial term until May 31, 2005, and the other two are for full terms until May 31, 2007.
Despite its internal problems, the WSSC will still go ahead with a planned $111 million advance refunding Nov. 3, Traber said.
