City Council discusses utility rate hike

The City Council on Monday voted to draft an ordinance adopting a new utility rate hike for water, wastewater and sewer services.

An outside consultant presented a detailed analysis of the water, sewer, and sanitation systems financial forecast. Each year the city reviews revenues as part of its budget process, but with major capital projects looming on the horizon for wastewater, the Assistant Public Works director Chris Cotta said a more detailed analysis was necessary for a number of reasons.

“One is that operating costs are expected to rise over time and there are no rate adjustments sched...