Posted: 6:25 p.m.
Friday, June 5, 2015
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Middletown sewer bills going up
this fall
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ed-richter/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN —
Middletown sewer rates will be
going up 10 percent as early as Sept. 1 to begin generating revenue to address
the city’s sewer issues.
During
a work session last week, City Council, reached a consensus that a 10 percent
rate increase was needed in order to pay for the upgrade city officials and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agree upon.
City
officials will be preparing legislation to raise the sewer rates at an upcoming
council meeting.
More
than 770 communities in the nation have or are negotiating with the U.S. EPA to
address the overflows for combined sewer systems. The federal agency first
started with larger cities, like Chicago, Cleveland and Cincinnati,
which will spend billions of dollars in the coming decades to reach compliance.
The
issue locally remains under negotiation between the city and the EPA. The cost
is projected in a range of $80 million to $250 million over a 20- to 25-year
period, said Scott Tadych, city director of public works and utilities.
In
addition, the city will also face more than $200 million for major
rehabilitation to the sewer collection system and the wastewater treatment
plant over the same period of time, he said.
“Funding
options for the these improvements are limited mostly to user fees, therefore
it is necessary to raise sewer rates accordingly dependent upon the final
solution,” Tadych said. “Small rate increases now will hopefully minimize the
need for large rate increases in the future.”
Council
members have spent the past several months trying to find a way to cause the
least pain on ratepayers.
City
Manager Doug Adkins said it was a matter of not if, but when the rates needed
to be raised.
During
a work session following Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Larry Mulligan said
he was comfortable with a 10 percent rate increase.
Other
council members agreed and Councilman Dan Picard agreed, but felt the city
should raise the rate more than the proposed 10 percent.
“If
we have the opportunity, let’s do it,” Picard said. “We’re only talking about a
few bucks a month.”
City
officials said based on 1,000 cubic feet of sewer usage, a rate payer will see
their monthly charge go up $2 a month or from $21.10 to $23.10 a month. The
average family of four in Middletown
uses about 1,000 cubic feet a month.
There
will be no increase in the city’s water rate at this time. The current water
rate is $13.63 for using 1,000 cubic feet a month, which is about 22,500
gallons.
As
of Dec. 31, 2014, Middletown
has 19,500 accounts however, the average delinquency rate is 14 percent.
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