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City water rate jumps PDF Print E-mail
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Written by Brian McCauley   
Wednesday, 01 July 2009 07:00
Rising water rates went from discussion to reality last week, when Paola City Council members officially made it more costly for city residents and business owners to turn on the faucet.

The issue has come to the forefront during the past month, as city officials have been reviewing the results of a $10,000 utility rate study by Wilson and Co. According to the report, the city’s structure for both water and sewer rates are lacking, with the water rates alone leading to an expected shortfall of revenue of about $460,000 for next year.

City officials have said specific numbers are difficult to predict for the future, as Paola’s and Louisburg’s joint water project is not yet online and growth of new users fluctuates. But the news was enough for council members to approve a water rate increase at their June 23 meeting.

A handful of options were introduced by Paola City Manager Jay Wieland, but the council members eventually decided to vote for Wieland’s suggestion of increasing the monthly usage fee from $4 per thousand gallons used to $5 and increasing the debt service fee from $12 per month to $14.

The council also eliminated the bonus for high-use customers. Previously, once a high-volume user exceeded 10,000 gallons used in a month, the rate dropped to $3.19, and it dropped even lower to $2.65 once the usage exceeded 50,000 gallons. There currently are 68 high-volume accounts in the city.

The average water customer uses 6,000 gallons of water, which means the average increase in monthly water bills will be $8. The rate changes go into effect today.

The financial pains for water customers aren’t likely to end there, though, as the options council members reviewed last week showed proposed rate increases every year for at least the next 12 years.

No official decisions were made on the future rate increases, though, as the officials said they will look at the situation each year with updated numbers.
“It will be imperative that we take a good hard look at it every year,” Wieland said.

The revenue is needed to pay off a water plant being built southeast of Paola near the intersection of 343rd Street and Victory Road. Paola and Louisburg have joined together to create the Marais des Cygnes Public Utility Authority, which is the entity in control of the more-than-$30-million project.

Wieland said last week he currently expects the city to start buying water from the PUA on Aug. 1.

Councilman Jack Rowlett Jr. said the rate increases will be tough pills to swallow for many residents on fixed incomes, and he fears that some high-volume commercial customers may see their monthly water bills practically double.

“It will have a major impact on a lot of folks,” Rowlett said.
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