Officials have proposed borrowing money from the city’s gas department surplus to upgrade the water treatment plant on Haining Road and provide the matching funds for the auxiliary main waterline project.

“I refuse to let this plant run on the edge of improvement, so therefore I’m going to recommend to this board that we find the money and we upgrade the electrical and we move forward,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said.

His comments follow an electrical system failure Friday morning at the water plant that caused a drop in water pressure. The problem was corrected and officials did not have to issue a boil water notice.

Flaggs expects to present a resolution to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen Wednesday to borrow money from the gas department’s $9 million surplus to fund the estimated $3.5 million cost of upgrading the electrical system and provide $3 million for the city’s match for the auxiliary water line project.

The gas department surplus is available cash accumulated over the years that can be used in emergencies. The short-term loan would be repaid to the gas department through a utilities bond issue paid off by water and sewer user fees. Flaggs said water and sewer customers can expect to see an increase in fees.

The city in August hired the Jackson engineering firm of Allen & Hoshall to review the city’s water rates, which Flaggs said are insufficient to cover water and sewer system maintenance and improvements.

“I’m putting the public on notice the consumer’s going to have to pay more for service,” Flaggs said. “Already there’s a fee for service, and it’s totally unfair for people that are not using the service to pay for those using the service more than residential and commercial and industrial use.

“I’m putting them on notice there’s going to be a fee increase as far as sewer and water going forward to pay back this money over a period of time.”

He said he also plans to seek assistance for the projects from the state and federal governments for help with funding the projects.

“The state has got to do something as far as municipalities in this state,” he said. “They either have to help fund them or give us the means in which we can raise the money ourselves. I have every intention of going before the Legislature and making that request.”

The electrical problem that occurred Friday was the latest problem with the plant’s electrical system.

A previous electrical problem in August 2016 in which a tree falling on a power line knocked out power to the city’s well fields caused a drop in pressure at the plant and was later responsible for causing the plant’s four pumps to shut down, leaving the city without water for almost 12 hours. The city was under a boil water notice for four days.

The electrical system at the water treatment plant is the same one that was operating when the plant went online in 1967, and replacement parts for the system are unavailable.