An ordinance to raise Wheeling's sewer rates by 35 percent had its first of two required readings Friday during a special meeting of City Council.
The ordinance will be read a second time, but not at council's next meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. That reading will occur at its May 19 meeting, according to City Manager Robert Herron. This is because there isn't enough time to publish required legal ads before Tuesday.
The ordinance sets forth the following changes to the sewer rate structure in the city:
The current rates for water usage will not be affected.
The average household in Wheeling uses 6,000 gallons of water a month, according to city officials. At this rate of usage, the average cost for sewage in the city is $25.26.
If the proposed rate increases are approved by council, the average monthly cost would rise to $34.08 an increase of $8.82.
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THE NEXT MEETING
Wheeling City Council next meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St.
Herron wanted the ordinance to be read before council as quickly as possible, as Wheeling officials look to take advantage of federal stimulus dollars currently available for sewer system upgrades the city must make in the next 20 years.
Wheeling is applying for $45 million in no-interest loans. This money would be used to pay for storm and sanitary sewer separations in the city that are being mandated by state and federal Environmental Protection Agencies.
The application is being sent to the state Public Service Commission for Review, which believes Wheeling's sewer rates are too low, according to Herron.
"The state is requiring that to get this loan, that we raise our sewer rates to a minimum of 1.5 percent of the city's median income," Herron said. "Currently our sewer rates are at 0.7 percent."
The proposed sewer rate hike would bring the rates to 1.25 percent of the median income, he continued, putting the city on the right track toward receiving the loans.
The state Public Service Commission reviews the financial aspects contained in the application, while the engineering for proposed projects will be examined by the state Department of Environmental Protection, according to Herron.
The city of Wheeling is under both state and federal mandates to eliminate combined sewer overflows in the city and has already spent $15 million on the first phase of its projects.
Herron's plan calls for three additional phases of projects over the next 20 years to meet additional requirements. Each phase also has a projected cost of $15 million.