In an effort to keep up with the cost of service, the City of Grand Forks is increasing its sewer and water rates on a monthly basis.
The plan, which was adopted Monday evening at the city council meeting, implements a $2 per month flat rate increase in user fees for sewer rates and water rates.
“It would be a $24 per year increase,” said city chief administrative officer Doug Allin in an interview with the Gazette.
The rate increase, which falls under bylaw 1952 (sewer) and 1953 (water), will be in place for one year and that rate structure will be reviewed again next year.
“That rate is not going to go up $24 every year,” said Roxanne Shepherd, the city’s chief financial officer.
She said the city has to take into account things like inflation and cost of service every year.
“Expenditures and the cost of supplying that service does go up every year,” said Hal Wright, city manager of operations.
The water bylaw does state: “Should the property owner elect to have the water service to a building turned on or off as described in Section 18 of this bylaw, water customer charge and fixed and capital fees will continue to be charged.”
Shepherd said the flat rate is charged in order to keep the costs constant throughout the year when people leave town for warmer weather.
“We have snowbirds and so they will say they are going away for six months and so then (the city would have to) jack up all the rates for everyone, to take into account the people that are on and off the system,” she said. “We still have to have (water and sewer) hooked up so we still do charge those flat rates for everyone.”
Allin said the rate increase is representative of the actual operating costs.