Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sewer Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears first readings on wastewater fees and a one-year sewer-rate increase tied to expansion
Summary
Council held first readings on a wastewater-fee schedule with specific user charges and surcharges and discussed a separate one-year sewer-rate increase staff says is needed to preserve grants and support a $26 million expansion tied to a local project.
Council members and city staff discussed two related utility items: a proposed one-year sewer-rate adjustment and a separate ordinance (026026) amending the city’s wastewater fee schedule.
Utility staff emphasized that the one-year rate change is intended to bridge a financing gap so the city can meet obligations and retain a $10,000,000 grant and a 2.5 percent low-interest loan opportunity tied to a local industrial expansion. Arthur told the council the choice was straightforward: "If you don't raise these rates, the state will." He and other staff said failing to approve the temporary rate could jeopardize the projected $26,000,000 expansion tied to the private project.
Catherine read the fee ordinance (026026), which lists detailed user charges: hauler discharge fees of $100 per 1,000 gallons, residential minimum bills (example: total monthly minimum $25.84 with a $15.42 volume-based charge for 0–2,000 gallons), commercial rate tables, and surcharges for excessive-strength sewage (e.g., a BOD surcharge of $0.66 per pound in excess of 250 mg/L). Council set the ordinance for a second reading on August 10 and asked staff to provide more details as needed before that date.
