Water, Sewer Rate Hikes Move Forward Post Falls Council Gives Preliminary Ok; Action Designed To Help Balance Budget

Water and sewer fees in Post Falls likely will rise for the first time in six years.

The actual increase to customers would be small - 57 cents more per month on the average residential water bill and 64 cents more for residential sewer users.

But the combined increases - a 3 percent hike in water fees and a 4 percent hike in sewer fees - would raise an additional $97,820 a year for the city.

That, coupled with a proposed 11 percent property tax increase, would balance the city budget, Finance Director Shelly Enderud said.

The Post Falls City Council gave preliminary approval for the rate increases Tuesday night. Setting the rates was part of a process to balance the budget, which the city has been working on this month. A public hearing on the entire budget will be Sept. 1 at the council’s regular 7 p.m. meeting in City Hall.

Under the proposed new rates, customers would pay $5.92 per month plus 62 cents for every 1,000 gallons of water they use. Sewer service would cost $16.59 per month for residential customers. Commercial sewer users would pay the same monthly flat rate as residential users plus $3.32 per 1,000 gallons of sewage they produce.

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, the rising cost of electricity, salary raises for plant workers, and the cost of complying with new regulations the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to pass, city officials said.

City Councilman Clay Larkin said he hopes the city also will consider raising the deposit required for connecting to city utilities from $35 to $50. Customers receive that deposit back after a year of good payments.

“Thirty-five dollars doesn’t cover one month’s utilities,” Larkin said.

And Enderud asked the council to consider making landlords responsible for city utilities, noting that Coeur d’Alene enacted such an ordinance about two years ago and greatly reduced the amount of money it lost from renters who failed to pay their bills.

An ordinance making landlords responsible would also reduce the effort city workers expend opening and closing accounts for renters, she said. For example, in the past seven months, city workers have had to disconnect 606 utility customers and connect 606 customers, she said in a staff report.

“That’s an excellent idea,” City Councilwoman Karen Streeter said. “Landlords would simply increase the rent to cover the utilities, and that would take care of it.”

The council directed its legal counsel to draw up an ordinance on the proposals for it to consider in an upcoming meeting.

This sidebar appeared with the story: RATE HIKE Water: Customers likely will pay $5.92 per month plus 62 cents for every 1,000 gallons used. Sewer: Would rise to $16.59 per month for residential customers. Commercial sewer users will pay the same monthly flat rate as residential users plus $3.32 per 1,000 gallons of sewage.