ST. ALBANS, W.Va. -- St. Albans City Council unanimously agreed Monday to sell $2.7 million in bonds to replace old waterlines that require constant upgrades.

St. Albans Mayor Dick Callaway said the bonds would not force any additional water rate increase on city customers in the near future. Callaway said an increase in April - from $7 to a $16 basic monthly water rate - helped cover the bond issue.

"Pipes in the ground are approaching 80 years of age," Callaway said. City maintenance crews often work around the clock to fix faulty or leaky pipes, he said.

City officials expect the bonds to mature by 2028. City Councilman Ron Colby said he was very pleased the city locked in a 4.37 percent interest rate on the bonds.

Also Monday, council members learned that beginning Friday, the Kanawha County Solid Waste Authority would not collect some recyclables from the city for at least a month. Callaway shared a letter sent by Norm Steenstra, director of the Kanawha County Solid Waste Authority, who wrote that "dramatic changes in the national and global markets for recyclables" has led to weak demand for plastic, glass, and cans.

"That is not good news," Callaway said.

Storage space for plastic, glass and cans is very limited at the Slack Street Recycling Center, Steenstra wrote in the letter. Paper materials, including magazines, newspapers, junk mail and office paper, will still be accepted, he wrote.

Still, Callaway said city workers would continue to pick up recyclables on their normal schedule.

Also Monday, Colby and Councilman John Boles said they believe metro government could work in the Kanawha Valley, and not at the expense of smaller municipal governments.

ST. ALBANS, W.Va. -- St. Albans City Council unanimously agreed Monday to sell $2.7 million in bonds to replace old waterlines that require constant upgrades.

St. Albans Mayor Dick Callaway said the bonds would not force any additional water rate increase on city customers in the near future. Callaway said an increase in April - from $7 to a $16 basic monthly water rate - helped cover the bond issue.

"Pipes in the ground are approaching 80 years of age," Callaway said. City maintenance crews often work around the clock to fix faulty or leaky pipes, he said.

City officials expect the bonds to mature by 2028. City Councilman Ron Colby said he was very pleased the city locked in a 4.37 percent interest rate on the bonds.

Also Monday, council members learned that beginning Friday, the Kanawha County Solid Waste Authority would not collect some recyclables from the city for at least a month. Callaway shared a letter sent by Norm Steenstra, director of the Kanawha County Solid Waste Authority, who wrote that "dramatic changes in the national and global markets for recyclables" has led to weak demand for plastic, glass, and cans.

"That is not good news," Callaway said.

Storage space for plastic, glass and cans is very limited at the Slack Street Recycling Center, Steenstra wrote in the letter. Paper materials, including magazines, newspapers, junk mail and office paper, will still be accepted, he wrote.

Still, Callaway said city workers would continue to pick up recyclables on their normal schedule.

Also Monday, Colby and Councilman John Boles said they believe metro government could work in the Kanawha Valley, and not at the expense of smaller municipal governments.

Metro governments often consolidate water, utilities, law enforcement and other services under one county or regional entity.

Colby and Boles attended a recent conference in Louisville, where residents have lived under a metro government for the past few years.

"I think it's a framework that's possible for the Kanawha Valley," Colby said. "It's got a lot of promise, in my opinion."

Many in Louisville would make one major change to their metro government, Colby said. "They said, 'We'd make it non-partisan,'" he said.

Democrats and Republicans in Louisville's metro government often vote along party lines, he said.

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