Ironton city council has passed an ordinance that will freeze increases in wastewater usage fees if a more than $250,000 balance is in the wastewater fund.

Monday, May 07, 2001

Ironton city council has passed an ordinance that will freeze increases in wastewater usage fees if a more than $250,000 balance is in the wastewater fund.

Councilman Richard Price proposed Ordinance No. 01-10 which will freeze the wastewater usage fee if the wastewater fund shows a cash balance of $250,000 or more at the beginning of each new year.

If more than $250,000 is in the fund, money can be transferred to two other line items, the wastewater treatment equipment replacement fund and the sewer service equipment replacement fund.

Price said the purpose of the legislation is to "give money back to the citizens if a raise is not needed."

Price explained that if a carryover of more than $250,000 is in the wastewater fund and is not transferred to the equipment replacement funds, then water service payers should not be required to pay an increase.

He said current projections show the increases will be needed for the city water service unless more water subscribers are added.

Currently, city residents are paying $3.70 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater used. The wastewater fee is scheduled to increase $0.25 per 1,000 gallons of used water in January 2002; $0.20 per 1,000 gallons of used water in January 2003; and a $0.15 per 1,000 gallons used water in both January 2004 and 2005.

This is a total of $0.75 increase over the four-year period, bringing the wastewater fee to a total of $4.45 per 1,000 gallons of water used by residents.