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Council member warns draft budget would raise water rates 60%
Summary
A council member warned the draft municipal budget contains 'a very expensive water budget' and said the city is proposing to 'raise them 60%,' urging colleagues to find cuts before asking residents to absorb those costs.
A council member told the Lowell City Council that the draft municipal budget includes a steep increase to water rates and urged fellow councilors to find cuts instead of passing the cost to residents.
"We're going to raise them 60%," the council member said, arguing the city should avoid repeating past rate increases and should look for spending reductions before burdening residents who are already facing higher grocery and household costs. The speaker cited city needs such as new windows for city hall, a museum ramp and pothole repairs at Stony Lake but said those items should not automatically translate into large water-bill hikes for residents.
Councilors acknowledged competing priorities, with one noting support for public safety and facility repairs while emphasizing fiscal restraint. The discussion took place during council comments as members reviewed the proposed budget and reflected on past promises to limit rate increases.
The council scheduled a work session on roads at 5:30 p.m. on April 20; budget deliberations and formal adoption were not completed at the meeting recorded in the transcript.
The statement that rates would rise "60%" was made by a council speaker in the meeting; the figure appears as a claim in the transcript and was presented to the council as a basis for pressing staff and colleagues for further budget review.
