Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents Tell Council $81 Sewer Flat Fee Is Unfair to Singles and Fixed-Income Households
Summary
Several residents urged the council to revisit a new sewer flat fee based on a 4,100-gallon baseline, saying the charge disproportionately hits single-person and low-income households and was poorly communicated.
Public comment at the Newport City Council meeting focused early and emphatically on a newly implemented sewer flat fee that charges a minimum based on 4,100 gallons of sewer usage.
At the podium, a resident who gave technical examples and said he tracked five years of usage asked, “Where does this 4,100 gallon number come from?” and said the baseline produced bills of about $81 for properties that use far less water. Darla Finchem, who said she has terminal cancer and pays bills on a fixed income, told the council she had to go to City Hall to pay in person and that the added $81 charge was “beyond me” on a one-person household.
Speakers urged more timely public notice and better outreach. One commenter said the fee appeared in bills months after council deliberations and that residents received no explanatory memo. Several asked the council to reconsider either the flat baseline or to add exemptions for small households.
Councilors acknowledged the concerns and noted a workshop on utilities was scheduled at which staff would discuss rate design and notice. The council did not take immediate action on the rate itself during the meeting.
