The Waverly City Council took the first step in what could be an increase in a trio of city utility rates on Monday, Feb. 3, approving in the first of three required votes slight rate hikes for water, sewer and solid waste rates for the next two fiscal years.
In a 6-0 vote — council member Brent Jones was not present — the council approved the first reading of an ordinance increasing the city’s sewer rates by 5% for the next two fiscal years. The increase in the monthly bill for an average user would be only $2.40 in the first year and $2.52 in the second year.
An increase to the city’s water rate was also approved in a 6-0 vote in the first reading, which if approved over the three required readings would raise water rates by 3% each of the next two fiscal years. The average household’s water bill would only increase by 90 cents per month, city officials wrote in a staff report.
“Additional revenue is needed to compensate for fixed inflationary expenses, to finance future projects and to meet bond coverage requirements,” city staff wrote in the staff report about the water rate increase.
Both the sewer and water hikes, if fully approved over three separate readings and votes, would go into effect in June of each year and be billed on the July bills in the next two years.
The only rate increase that drew debate was the proposed solid waste rate increase, which was approved in a first reading by a 5-1 vote. Council Member Brian Birgen voted ‘no’ on the rate hike.
The solid waste services affected include curbside recycling and commercial garbage rates, leading to an increase of 75 cents per month in each of the next two years for recycling, and a 50 cents per cubic yard increase per month for both commercial cardboard and commercial garbage service in the next two years.
The council is scheduled to conduct a second reading of all three rate increase proposals on Monday, Feb. 17, and a third reading and possible vote on Monday, March 3. If fully approved, all three rate hikes would be published in legal notices in March and go into effect in June.