Murray City Council has passed the first reading of a proposal that would, over three years, nearly double water and wastewater rates.
City Finance Director Alan Lanier says average water bills run at about $7 and wastewater at nearly $13.50.
“Our water prices are I’d say below regional pricing that we’ve seen and our wastewater prices are currently just a little higher than Paducah but kind of in the average right now,” he said.
With the incremental increase of 10 percent every six months until 2018 average bills will increase to more than $14 for water and nearly $28 for wastewater. The increase comes to support necessary updates to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The first reading passed 8-3 at yesterday’s City Council meeting.
Linda Cherry was among the dissenters. She’s concerned residents are charged for a minimum of 2,000 gallons of water whether they use it or not and wastewater bills are also based on that number.
“An elderly man that I was talking to and trying to explain that to him why we’re doing it first of all and how we’re doing it, he said but you know even if it is only a couple dollars difference in what I actually use and what the city charges me with the 2,000 gallon minimum it may only be a couple of bucks but to me that’s a loaf of bread,” Cherry said.
She says it is a hard decision for city officials but she still thinks the money could come from elsewhere.
