At Tuesday's board of aldermen meeting at city hall, the board unanimously passed bills establishing the new water and sewer fees and property tax rates. The higher water and sewer fees will be effective starting with the billing cycle in September, officials said. The basic charge for water will be $8 per month, plus 20 cents for each 100 gallons used. That rate amounts to $2 per each 1,000 gallons of water. City officials said a customer who uses 5,000 gallons of water monthly would receive a bill of $18. Residents currently pay about $14 per month for the same 5,000 gallons of water. Sewer rates, meanwhile, which are based on the amount of water used, will not rise by the same percentage. The charge for basic sewer service will be $13 per month. The city will charge $1 for each 1,000 gallons of water used, resulting in a monthly charge of $18 for a customer who uses 5,000 gallons of water. The current rate for sewer customers is about $15 per month for a resident using 5,000 gallons of water. This is the first increase in water fees since 1991. Charges for sewer service were last increased in 2001, officials said. "We are concerned about the future of the water and sewer fund for the city," Marthasville Mayor Dale Verges observed. "We felt a rate hike was necessary." Property Tax Rates The 2008 real estate and personal property tax rates will remain the same as last year at 52.9 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation. The 2008 street lighting tax also will remain at the 2007 level of 12.8 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation. "We looked around and compared our current water and sewer levels with several other municipalities," said Verges. "We feel these rates are very realistic for our citizens. "We're still below most other cities in the area," Verges added. "We don't believe this new rate will be too much of a burden for anyone." Verges pointed out the new rate for water is actually a little more "customer-friendly" in the way it is applied. "Under the old system, if you used 5,001 gallons of water, you were charged in increments of 1,000 gallons," Verges said, "so you'd actually pay for using 6,000 gallons of water. "Under this new system, if you use 5,001 gallons of water in a month, you'll pay for 5,100 gallons instead of the 6,000," he added. The city is considering a plan to build a new water tower, possibly as soon as next year, and also needs to make improvements to its present water system. Aldermen said the city hopes to apply for federal funding to help pay for the improvements. But one of the considerations in applying for the funding, they added, was a review of current city water and sewer rates by the board which administers the grants. Aldermen said rates which are considered below the regional market average for area municipalities can tend to result in an unfavorable result on the grant application. City officials also said the water and sewer bills which customers will receive this week will contain information about the city's hopes to consider a recycling plan throughout Marthasville. "We're asking residents to fill out a questionnaire," Verges explained. "The survey will ask them if they would be interested to participate in the program." Aldermen are considering using Grace Hauling, which currently handles the city's trash collection pickup, as their recycling collector. Grace said it would provide each citizen with a 95-gallon container for recycled materials, which would be picked up once a week along with other, nonrecyclable trash. "The good thing about the container," said Verges, "is that residents don't have to sort recyles as you used to. You just put everything into one big container and Grace does the sorting for you at its main collection point. "But recycling won't work unless the citizens are willing to participate in this plan," Verges added. "We hope this is the first step toward that goal."