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4-12-2007 By JIM AUSTIN Editor This week, the village finance and personnel committee will be reviewing potential rate increases of 25 percent for water and 8 percent for sewer. The committee will make recommendations to the board of trustees. This is the second year in a row for rate increases. Last April, the board of trustees voted to raise water rates 25 percent and sewer rates by 28 percent. According to the treasurer, rates were also increased in August 2003 when water went up 15 percent and sewer rose by 28 percent. The water rate is currently $.0454 per cubic foot. A 25 percent increase would raise the rate to $.0568 per cubic foot. The current sewer rate is .0566 per cubic foot. An increase of eight percent would hike the rate to $.0611 per cubic foot. At the time of last year’s increase, the board adopted a scaled-back version of what had been recommended by the water board which had asked for a 50 percent hike. Trustee Jeff Katz said that he hated to raise rates as much as the two boards were recommending. ``Costs are going up beyond our control, but a gradual increase would have been more palatable,’’ he said. This year’s increases are being driven, in part, by expenditures which are unique to this fiscal year, said village treasurer Mary Ann Henderson. The village has also earmarked money to be set aside in reserve funds for future expenditures, the treasurer said. Milo Stewart Jr., the new chairman of the water board, said there were not enough members present for a quorum in the Monday morning meeting so the increase was referred to the finance and personnel committee. ``We’re trying to play catch up,’’ he said of the rate hike. Stewart spoke out against last year’s increase saying it was too much at one time. He said he is still bothered by such a large increase. ``It’s unsettling to me. I wonder when enough is enough. This has to be done a little by little,’’ he said. On Tuesday, the Sewer Board approved a recommendation to raise the rate by eight percent. That recommendation will go first to the finance and personnel committee and then to the board of trustees Monday night for final approval. If approved by the board of trustees, the rate increase would take effect with the August billing. |
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