Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utility Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dell Rapids council advances 5% water and wastewater rate increases with first readings
Summary
Council approved first readings of ordinances to raise water and wastewater rates 5% as part of the 2025 budget. Staff said the increases are needed to cover rising operations and maintenance costs; detailed line-item rate changes were presented for base and per-1,000-gallon rates.
The Dell Rapids City Council held first readings and approved motions to advance ordinances proposing 5% increases to both water and wastewater rates, measures the administration said are needed to keep pace with rising operating costs.
On the water side (Ordinance No. 939), staff proposed increasing the base monthly water charge from $12.63 to $13.26 and the per 1,000-gallon charge from $4.16 to $4.37 for the first 50,000 gallons; for usage above 50,000 gallons the per-1,000 rate was presented as increasing from $6.87 to $7.24. Staff provided an illustrative example for a 5,000-gallon customer, saying the overall bill would increase about 3.17% (about $1.68 per month). Council moved and seconded the first reading and approved it.
For wastewater (Ordinance No. 940), staff proposed raising the base from $16.97 to $17.82 and the per 1,000-gallon charge from $5.11 to $5.37. Using the state's 5,000-gallon benchmark for examples, staff said a current sewer charge of $73.57 would rise to $75.72 under the proposed rates; the council approved first reading.
Staff said prior increases were often tied to SRF loans for projects, and the proposed changes are intended to cover routine operational and maintenance costs so the funds do not lapse into deficit. Both measures will return for subsequent readings and adoption per the ordinance schedule.
