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Council to review sewer ordinance after residents report October billing spikes
Summary
Council heard resident complaints about high sewer bills following October reads and approved a motion to adjust specific accounts to the summer average now and direct staff to bring amended ordinance language and a full rate review at the next meeting.
Council reviewed several resident complaints that sewer bills rose substantially after the city’s October meter read, shifting bills from an average amount to actual usage. A staff member told the council she had correspondence from multiple residents and that the matter is why she placed the sewer ordinance before the council for possible revision.
The staff member read examples of affected accounts and numbers and offered to prepare language changing billing back to a summer average for the listed customers. She said she would document each account and the adjusted amount in the minutes. A council member moved to change the affected accounts to the average, the motion was seconded and carried. The council also agreed to review all rates and any necessary ordinance changes at the next council meeting in November.
Councilors framed the problem as a short‑term spike caused by outdoor watering and October reads rather than sewer flows to the wastewater system, and commissioners directed staff to draft an ordinance amendment for formal consideration. The staff member used resident figures to illustrate the change — for example, she cited one account billed about $199.50 with a summer average near $19.95 — and said she would list every adjusted name and corrected amount in the minutes for transparency.
The motion passed on a roll call; staff will prepare ordinance language and include rate reviews in the next meeting packet.
