Water, sewer hikes approved on divided vote; postponing hikes till Jan. unanimous

ROCHESTER - The City Council voted 9-4 on Tuesday to approve raising water and sewer rates that will hike residents' quarterly water bills by 5 percent and sewer bills 10 percent.

The hikes will add about $7 to the average resident's quarterly water bill and almost $12 on a quarterly sewer bill.

Both measures passed with councilors Chris Rice, Palala Belken, Doug Lachance and Jeremy Hutchinson opposing the measure.

Councilors unanimously passed amendments that would postpone the implementation of the rate hikes till January due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally increases are implemented upon passage, City Manager Blaine Cox said today.

The Utility Advisory Board called for the hikes last fall, and the city Finance Committee voted in March to send the proposal on to the full City Council.

The board says the increases are necessary to pay for capital improvements needed to keep the system operating at the high level residents have come to expect.

The UAB noted that rates have not kept up with the Consumer Price Index during that past 10 years or so, during which time the city has spent substantial dollars on improvements to the infrastructure and in added technology.