Ypsilanti City Council to consider water, sewage rate increases at tonight's meeting
Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify information about the increase in rates.
The Ypsilanti City Council tonight will hold its first reading of proposed increases to the city's water and sewage rates.
YCUA interim director Jeff Castro
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
The increase will translate into an additional $5.42 per bi-monthly bill for an average user and a $2.80 increase for minimum users.
The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority Board of Commissioners on Aug. 28 approved a recommendation to council for a water rate increase of 5 percent and a sewer rate increase of 3 percent for the city's customers.
The combined effect of these rate adjustments would be a 4 percent increase in a city customer’s bimonthly bill.
The raise is a result of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department increasing its rate to YCUA by 8.7 percent.
YCUA Interim Director Jeff Castro wrote in a letter to city council that the authority was able to limit the water rate increase due to containment of other operating costs and the lower total cost of purchased water resulting from the anticipated decrease in consumption.
The YCUA’s water consumption has decreased compared with five years ago because of the loss of the area’s industrial base. The city observed a 8.3 percent decrease in volume, and the township had a 20 percent decrease over the course of five years.
If the city chooses to approve the two ordinances, all bills rendered prior to Nov. 25 will be charged using existing rates. All bills after will reflect the new changes.
City council will meet today at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
greg, too
Tue, Oct 2, 2012 : 6:06 p.m.
I love reading all of these stories about new millages or surcharges or rate hikes that will only cost us a couple bucks a month. Sure, $3.69 a month won't both me to much, it's the cost of a decent happy hour beer that I could probably live without anyway. But when it is couple with ten other hikes and surcharges and millages, it starts to add up and hurts more. And what does this rate hike get us? Our pipes keep falling apart, sinkholes keep popping up, and repairs are lagging behind. What are we actually paying for?
greg, too
Wed, Oct 3, 2012 : 2:19 a.m.
YpsiVet, that's kinda what I thought too. I hope another hike isn't on the way as their workers continue to strike...
YpsiVeteran
Wed, Oct 3, 2012 : 1:51 a.m.
You're paying for the incompetence, mismanagement and outright thievery of the Detroit Water Department.