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Somerset council approves 8% increase to bulk sewer rate
Summary
The Somerset City Council voted to raise the citys bulk sewer rate by 8% after discussion about recent wastewater treatment work and past billing confusions; the motion passed on a 3-1 roll call.
The Somerset City Council voted to increase the citys bulk sewer rate by 8% following discussion about recent wastewater treatment work and billing confusion.
City Attorney Mike Wheeler told the council he had sent a certified letter to the bulk sewer customer (identified in the packet as State Farm) on Jan. 3 notifying them about the rate discussion scheduled for Jan. 16. Council members reviewed options presented earlier in the packet showing sample increases of 5%, 6%, 7% and 8% before settling on 8%.
Councilors cited the citys recent completion of a wastewater treatment expansion and said the rate change was intended to align bulk rates with that work while noting the city did not add a citizen surcharge to pay for the project. Members also recalled confusion during a previous bulk-rate change in 2022, when other administration fees on customersbills created misunderstanding about the total amounts residents saw.
A roll-call vote recorded Commissioner Martin as aye, Commissioner Reid as no, Commissioner Herb as aye and Commissioner Kitzelmeyer as aye; the motion carried 3-1. The transcript did not specify an effective date for the change.
The councils packet and discussion state the city may revisit rates annually under its contract. No further regulatory citations or ordinance numbers were presented at the meeting.
