At its last meeting on Feb. 11, aldermen voted to not raise water rates until at least July at the earliest, the start of the 2009-10 fiscal year. Officials continue to stress that the rate increase …
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At its last meeting on Feb. 11, aldermen voted to not raise water rates until at least July at the earliest, the start of the 2009-10 fiscal year. Officials continue to stress that the rate increase - expected to be between 5 and 7 cents a day - is needed to cover extra costs associated with the installation of a chlorination system. "It's probably not going to be a major increase," Mayor Murray Bruer said. Currently, there are approximately 270 city customers who pay $5.51 for the first 1,000 gallons and $2.89 for each additional 1,000 gallons used. If a customer used 5,000 gallons of water a month, the water bill (excluding sewer) would be $17.07. Should the city bump the rate 50 cents for the first 1,000 gallons and an additional 25 cents for the next 1,000 gallons, the total bill would be $18.57 - or about 5 cents a day. If the increase was $2 ($1 for the first 1,000 gallons and 25 cents for the next 1,000) a customer's bill would be $19.07 - or 7 cents a days. "We've been really, really fortunate here that our increases are minimal," Bruer said. "To run that chlorination program, it's just covering our bases. We need it (in case of an emergency)." In December, Public Works Director Gilbert Nordwald informed the board it costs the city an additional $367.70 each month to chlorinate the water. An increase of $1.50 a month would provide an additional $405 for the city, while a $540 cushion could be reached with a $2 bump. Two weeks ago, the board discussed implementing a rate increase immediately, but decided to wait until July to do the rate bump all at once. "I said do it at one time," Alderman Adriane Null said. "It's good to wait and see how much we need to go up." City officials are concerned about the perception of citizens in the current economic climate. While the city has increased water rates $1.25 since 2006, the costs are still lower than what is recommended by the state. In a 2004 report prepared by Boonslick Regional Planning Commission, it was noted a customer should be paying $35.45 to $47.27 for using 5,000 gallons each month in the city.
