Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent
Following a public hearing Wednesday at the Clintonville Community Center, the Clintonville Utility Board voted to recommend to the Common Council that it approve sewer rate increases of more than 20 percent for most customers.
The council will consider the increases when it meets on March 8.
City Administrator Chuck Kell said Clintonville has historically had low sewer rates.
“It is good the city has had low sewer rates, but that doesn’t support infrastructure improvements,” he told the board.
Kell said a financial planner told the city, which has $11 million in sewer projects scheduled over the next five years, that it needs to raise sewer rates a minimum of $183,000 a year.
The utility would like to generate up to $237,000 a year in order to pay off the debt more quickly. To meet that goal, residential rates would increase about 25 percent and commercial rates about 22-23 percent.
A Clintonville residential customer using an average of 2,000 gallons a month is paying a rate of $4.15, a volume charge of $8.30 and an $11 fixed charge, for a total sewer bill per month of $19.30. A 25 percent increase would raise the cost $6.30 per month, or $75.60 per year.
Residential customers averaging 4,000 gallons a month now pay $27.60 per month. With a 25 percent increase, those residents would pay $9.20 more per month ($36.80) and $110.40 per year.
Commercial customers using 55,000 gallons per month would see a 23 percent increase, or $81.50 per month and $978 per year.
The rate would increase 22 percent for commercial customers averaging 90,000 gallons per month, increasing the monthly bill by $139, from $503.50 to $642.50, and annually by $1,668.
According to a 2013 Wisconsin Sewer User Charge Survey, Clintonville sewer rates averaged $316.5o per year while the annual cost in other cities with 2,001 to 5,000 people was $403. The average rate in Clintonville this year is $360.25 per year.
Kell outlined several pending sewer projects in the city:
- The capital improvement plan calls for upgrading the waste water treatment plant at a cost of $10 million through a 40-year bond issue with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- The North Main Street reconstruction calls for all utilities being replaced in 2017. The cost of one mile of sanitary sewer line will be $550,000.
- Maize Street will be done this year and will cost $120,000.
- Roberts Street sewer replacment is scheduled for 2017.
- Other planned improvements include the computer network from the lift station.