MONROE - Mayor Bill Ross broke the tie vote among aldermen Tuesday to approve a 23-percent increase in wastewater rates next year.
The rate hike was initially voted down 5-3 at the Nov. 17 council meeting. The measure will result in an average increase of $27 per quarter per household.
Public Works Director Colin Simpson presented the rate increase and the reasoning behind it, stressing the increase is an average, not a fixed number.
The increase will fund debt service accrued by the city to build the new wastewater treatment plant. The rest will be saved for the Public Works Department capital budget for future maintenance and equipment replacements.
Simpson said the increase could have been lower had the rate increase not been avoided for a long time. He encouraged the council not to continue that trend.
"Not putting any money in capital savings isn't going to be something we are going to notice today," Simpson said. "We have to have the foresight to save for those things to avoid a much higher increase in the future."
Simpson said a 17-percent increase would allow the city to begin payments on its debt service on the new wastewater treatment plant, but there would be no funds to set aside for future projects without a sharper increase. No savings would leave the city in the same position in years to come.
Alderman Tom Miller said it was a prime example of a trend in the city's dwindling infrastructure, pointing to other pieces of Monroe such as the downtown parking ramp and the condition of roadways as examples. Comparing the need for low living costs as a pretty cake, he said it was rotting from beneath as a result of the city's inaction.
Alderwoman Chris Beer suggested cutting the average increase down to 20 percent in order to begin savings without the high figure. Alderman Charles Koch maintained, as he had previously, that the proposed increase would hurt anyone on a fixed income. He moved to increase the rates by 17 percent, but there was no second.
Alderman Michael Boyce said it seemed unwarranted to vote on the same matter that was denied two weeks earlier, but he was shot down by fellow council members who pointed to Simpson's extensive presentation as sufficient and complete information.
Miller called for a 23-percent increase, seconded by Alderman Reid Stangel. The council, with Alderwoman Brooke Bauman absent, found itself in a tie, with Koch, Boyce, Jeff Newcomer and Beer voting against the measure. Ross took a moment to share his point of view, acknowledging that though rising costs are hard on everyone, the decision to increase the average household bill was necessary when thinking of the future.
"The bottom line is that the city is really strapped for funds," Ross said. "It's not easy, but the reality is that things go up."
The council adopted the resolution to include specific rates incorporating the average percentage increase as a reference chart for the wastewater department when compiling bills.
The rate hike was initially voted down 5-3 at the Nov. 17 council meeting. The measure will result in an average increase of $27 per quarter per household.
Public Works Director Colin Simpson presented the rate increase and the reasoning behind it, stressing the increase is an average, not a fixed number.
The increase will fund debt service accrued by the city to build the new wastewater treatment plant. The rest will be saved for the Public Works Department capital budget for future maintenance and equipment replacements.
Simpson said the increase could have been lower had the rate increase not been avoided for a long time. He encouraged the council not to continue that trend.
"Not putting any money in capital savings isn't going to be something we are going to notice today," Simpson said. "We have to have the foresight to save for those things to avoid a much higher increase in the future."
Simpson said a 17-percent increase would allow the city to begin payments on its debt service on the new wastewater treatment plant, but there would be no funds to set aside for future projects without a sharper increase. No savings would leave the city in the same position in years to come.
Alderman Tom Miller said it was a prime example of a trend in the city's dwindling infrastructure, pointing to other pieces of Monroe such as the downtown parking ramp and the condition of roadways as examples. Comparing the need for low living costs as a pretty cake, he said it was rotting from beneath as a result of the city's inaction.
Alderwoman Chris Beer suggested cutting the average increase down to 20 percent in order to begin savings without the high figure. Alderman Charles Koch maintained, as he had previously, that the proposed increase would hurt anyone on a fixed income. He moved to increase the rates by 17 percent, but there was no second.
Alderman Michael Boyce said it seemed unwarranted to vote on the same matter that was denied two weeks earlier, but he was shot down by fellow council members who pointed to Simpson's extensive presentation as sufficient and complete information.
Miller called for a 23-percent increase, seconded by Alderman Reid Stangel. The council, with Alderwoman Brooke Bauman absent, found itself in a tie, with Koch, Boyce, Jeff Newcomer and Beer voting against the measure. Ross took a moment to share his point of view, acknowledging that though rising costs are hard on everyone, the decision to increase the average household bill was necessary when thinking of the future.
"The bottom line is that the city is really strapped for funds," Ross said. "It's not easy, but the reality is that things go up."
The council adopted the resolution to include specific rates incorporating the average percentage increase as a reference chart for the wastewater department when compiling bills.