UFF Spotlight: Joel Manning

What would you say are the main financial challenges are the most pressing for wastewater utilities right now?
Growth, growth, and growth—it’s our top three challenges, no doubt. South Carolina’s booming, and being just 45 minutes from Charlotte is only fueling it. The growth is fast, and honestly, nobody was ready for it. With around 4,500 customers and no ability to tax—just fee-based revenue--we have to run like a business. That means figuring out how to fund expansion without going broke. Grants are a lifeline. We’re in the middle of a $50 million project, and we’ve secured funding to cover more than half of it, but each grant comes with its own reporting headaches—I’ve got five separate bins just to keep track. And then there’s PFAS and PFOS—the ‘forever chemicals.’ Freedom of Information requests are piling up, and the question is: how is the water and wastewater industry going to manage that? Because the cleanup isn’t going to be cheap. This growth, paired with these challenges—it’s real, and it’s going to take careful planning and resourcefulness to keep up. 

How do you use benchmarking data to evaluate CWRS performance or efficiency?
That’s a good one, because we always get compared to other entities—like Rock Hill, which is just 20 minutes north of us. And we always joke the only thing we have in common is proximity. You can’t just look at rates and say it’s apples to apples. You’ve got to actually talk to folks--ask how they operate, what they do differently. Every utility is unique: maybe they maintain 90 lines and we handle 200. So, you have to extrapolate: look at cost per foot or mile and try to normalize the data. That’s the real benchmarking. But you also need to be careful who you’re comparing yourself to. I sat in a class with someone from Hilton Head Island—service expectations there are way higher, so naturally their costs are too. Sure, I love how much they pay, but it reflects that elevated service level. It therefore all comes back to customer engagement. Like, when there’s a sewer backup, how quickly do folks expect us to respond? What level of service are they willing to accept? 

What advice would you give to someone new to utility finance or interested in working with small issuers?
First instinct? I might say ‘don’t do it’—but really, if you're stepping into utility finance or working with small issuers, just be ready to carve out time. Go with what you've got and don’t let ‘perfect’ stop you from delivering something good. Sometimes you won’t have every data point, and that’s okay. Just give the best info you can. Ask questions constantly. I still always ask: why are we doing this, is this the best way, should we go direct lender or out to market? What worked five years ago may not fit now. Know your rates, understand your ratepayers, and look ahead—not at what your community is today, but what it’ll be in 10 or 15 years. When setting rates, plan for replacements and depreciation, even though people hate those words. Deferred maintenance can sneak up on you, and lead to rate shock when things break down. So always leave yourself some cushion because sooner or later, something’s going to need fixing. 

What is something that you are excited about working on in the coming year?
I really enjoy the utility finance and small government forums, they're invaluable for sharing knowledge. But what I’m most excited about this year is wrapping up our big project with Rock Hill. Grant reporting is new territory for me, and I’ve learned a ton already. The ultimate goal is rate stabilization so that customers see steady rates and we’re set up to handle future growth. I truly believe this project will leave things better than we found them, and that’s something I’m proud to be a part of. 

Personal motto:
Service to humanity is the best work of life 

Favorite quote:
"No one with their last breath ever said, ' I wish I had spent more time at work'" — Martha Stewart.