Board conducts first reading of Granger sewer‑rate ordinance, authorizes publishing for public hearing

The St. Joseph County utilities board conducted a first reading of Ordinance 2026‑1, an update to Granger sewer rates intended to catch up on allowable yearly increases and rising operating expenses. Jessica presented account and debt figures and a financial analysis; she said expenses are rising and that a recent South Bend water invoice of $1,279.18 adjusted this month’s claims to $50,663.31.

Members debated two principal approaches to rate adjustments: a single percentage increase applied across all customers (members discussed 15% and noted a theoretical maximum of 25% given prior amendments) or a targeted approach that raises rates for commercial "wet users" that contribute heavier loadings and surcharges. Several board members urged caution about customer pushback and the cost and complexity of verifying individual customers’ loadings through testing; one member argued for spreading costs across a commercial category to avoid expensive and potentially contestable testing.

The board also queried whether the availability (base) fee would change; members noted uncertainty in the transcript and planned to confirm whether prior amendments included availability fees when preparing the final ordinance. Members reviewed debt‑service timing for Granger (final payments around 2032–2034) and noted reserves of about $216,000 that could cover upcoming small payments.

The board voted to authorize publishing the proposed rate sheet so the ordinance can be publicly noticed; a second reading with a public hearing is scheduled for the August meeting. The motion to publish was carried by voice vote. Specific mover/second and a numerical roll‑call tally were not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.