Ravenswood City Council approves amended ordinance increasing sewer rates after public hearing

Ravenswood City Council on Jan. 20 approved a second-reading amended ordinance that increases sewer rates following a public hearing and public comment period.

The hearing opened at 7:57 p.m. and drew several residents who questioned the scale and impact of the increase. Amanda Morgan said the "end game increase of $40.00" would be very difficult for many households to afford and asked whether other funding sources or expanded hookups might reduce pressure on residential customers. Carley told the council that Timet is the only industrial discharger on the system and that the company pretreats its waste, addressing questions about industrial contributions to the system load.

Tom Lookabaugh asked whether the city had paid any fees or fines over the past 25 years, estimated the effect on his own bill and asked whether proceeds from sale of the current lagoon property could be used to pay debt. Max Ellis asked whether a Rule 42 protest had been filed related to the ordinance. Dee Scritchfield asked about the feasibility of a senior discount; council members discussed the existence of a state program for senior rate relief but did not adopt a local senior exception during the meeting.

The hearing closed at 8:37 p.m. Jared Bloxton moved to approve the amended ordinance; Todd Ritchie seconded and the motion passed with unanimous approval of the members present.

The ordinance vote was recorded as a second reading and approved by unanimous vote; the transcript does not specify an effective date or implementation timeline. The council scheduled its next regular meeting for Feb. 3, 2026.