Amended contract to be put in place in January

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The cities of Henning and Ottertail have agreed to a modified water contract between the two neighboring cities. 

During a special city council meeting on Thursday night, the Henning City Council approved a modified contract agreement that was negotiated between the two communities. The new contract was agreed to after representatives from both communities went into a mediation session. 

As part of the modified contract the City of Ottertail will pay a new price of $3.75 per 1,000 gallons for water from the City of Henning. The modified contract will go into effect in January 2022. It will also call for an increase of 2 percent each year beginning in 2023. The increases will continue through the end of the contract, which is scheduled to end in 2029.

Each of the two communities will be responsible for their own water systems as part of the modified contract. That means the City of Henning will assume all responsibility for their water production, treatment and supply system up to the point it reaches the Ottertail water system.

Ottertail will be responsible for its own water system, including metering, billing, location requirements and repairs.

As part of the modified contract, the two parties also expressed a desire to participate in further discussions to attempt to enter into a long-term agreement regarding water supply and use. 

“It’s actually a huge win for Henning and a huge win for Ottertail,” said Wiese. “Our intention is to make something fair and equitable.”

The Ottertail City Council also approved the amended water contract on Thursday night.

The current water contract was established in 1999 in which the City of Henning will provide water to the City of Ottertail as part of a joint agreement. The original agreement was established to last 30 years.