The Waterville Sewerage District is proposing a 13.84 percent increase in user fees for wastewater discharged into the city’s sanitary sewer system.
Under the rate increase proposed by the management of the sewer district, the average Waterville homeowner will pay $204 per year for wastewater disposal in the sewerage system.
In a public notice about the increase, the district claims it has been running a deficit for several years, with expenses having increased 36 percent over the last five years. While the cost to homeowners would increase, district managers said the increase will be held down by using reserve funds on hand to cover the cost of capital projects.
The new sewer rate would increase from $2.24 per 100 cubic feet of water used to $2.55 per 100 cubic feet for customers who are on water meters. Unmetered customers would pay $56.92 per quarter, up from $50; and the minimum quarterly bill would be $56.92, up from $50 per quarter. Most customers in the district are on water meters.
A public hearing will be held on the proposed rate hike at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec.8 in the City Council chambers at Waterville City Hall.
Sewerage District management claims the increased rates still would be among the lowest in the region, with only customers of the Benton and Fort Fairfield sewer systems paying less than the proposed Waterville rate.
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