CAPAC — At their February 22 meeting, the village council voted to raise sewer rates.
Manager Travis Youatt noted that a sewer rate study had been conducted in the past but the suggested schedule had not been followed. In light of a major upcoming sewer project along Hill Street and other likely sewer system repairs and upgrades, Youatt advised the council to raise rates.
As a result the quarterly ready to serve fee will increase from $9.33 to $12 and the administration charge will go from $5.97 to $7. The current sewer commodity charge of $4.60 is set at the rate suggested for 2023.
A proposed rate increase for those users outside of the village limits was also proposed and will be contingent on village attorney Al Francis’s advice.
Youatt said that as a result, the average quarterly sewer bill for village residents will go from $78 to $92.
The village has been approved for funding from the United States Department of Agriculture for the Hill Street project that will improve underground infrastructure that connects the village’s sewer system to their lagoons. Per the terms of that 40 year bond, the village will need to maintain a certain level of cash reserves—ten percent of the estimated $1.085 million project—but those terms and construction cost have yet to be finalized.
In other meeting matters:
•Youatt announced that the village was the recipient of a Drinking Water Asset Management grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy that will study the types and material used in pipes that connect homes to the village’s water system.
