By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A consultant recommends St. Joseph sewer rates rise by three percent annually over the next two years.
The St. Joseph City Council has been presented with the results of a sewer rate study conducted by Burns & McDonnell at a work session. The study recommends sewer bills rise by three percent at midyear next year and in 2026. The study estimates the average sewer bill will rise by a dollar-85 a month in 2025 and a dollar-94 in 2026.
The city states the rise would help the city keep up with the rising cost of state and federal regulations.
Sewer rates rose by four percent last year. The city says that was the first increase since 2017.
“I understand that any increase in utility costs can be a hardship, and I want our citizens to know that we are doing everything we can to keep those increases as minimal as possible,” Public Works Director, Abe Forney, said in a written statement released by the city. “These improvements are not optional. They are mandated by the DNR and the EPA to protect the public and the environment. Our goal as public works staff is to meet these requirements in a way that minimizes the financial burden to our community.”
The Burns & McDonnell study reports the average St. Joseph sewer bill is $65.70 a month while the average bill in Omaha is $60.12 and the average bill in Kansas City is $79.01.
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