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Hammond council approves increases to water, sewer and garbage rates with a 60‑day notice period
Summary
After a public hearing that drew senior and resident concerns, the council approved state‑recommended water and sewer increases and raised the garbage collection fee, while adding a 60‑day effective delay and directing city communications to warn customers.
The Hammond City Council on June 24 approved ordinances increasing water and sewer rates and raising the monthly garbage collection fee, and inserted a council amendment to delay the effective date by 60 days after the mayor signs the ordinances so the city can notify customers.
City staff presented a state‑directed water and sewer rate study showing inside‑city water should rise from $1.50 to $2.89 per 1,000 gallons and sewer from $3.00 to $5.07 per 1,000 gallons. Administration said adopting the state minimums was necessary to comply with state requirements and would avoid jeopardizing a $5,000,000 sewer grant tied to meeting the rate study recommendations.
On garbage, staff said the city’s current resident charge for twice‑weekly collection is $14.08 while the city’s average cost per customer is about $23 per month; the proposed resident rate increase to $23 would recover part of an ongoing subsidy and free roughly $700,000–$800,000 a year for capital projects.
Public comment was robust: residents including seniors and advocates warned of hardship for fixed‑income households and urged clearer notices. Tracy Wells and others said many seniors do not read the papers or use social media and would be surprised by higher bills; staff and council agreed to a grace/notification window. Council adopted a motion to make the ordinances effective 60 days after the mayor signs them (staff said this would be roughly Sept. 1) and to require bill insert notices, newspaper publication and postings on the city website and Facebook page.
What the council approved: the water and sewer increases as recommended in the state study and the garbage collection fee increase to $23 per month for twice‑weekly collection, with the council’s amendment delaying implementation and directing comprehensive citizen notification.
Next steps: staff said they would coordinate the notice mailing and the effective date once the mayor signs the ordinances so residents have time to prepare.
