Council may raise water, sewer rates

Water rates increased last year but decreased in 2001 and 1997.
CANFIELD -- City council is considering legislation to increase both water and sewer rates for roughly 3,100 customers.
Under a measure to be introduced at tonight's regular council meeting, the city's water rates would increase by 12 percent after May 1 and again by 12 percent in 2006. Sewer rates would increase 3 percent.
Both pieces of legislation are set for first reading tonight, and City Manager Charles Tieche emphasized that the legislation could be changed before a vote.
Second reading is set for the March 15 meeting when a final vote is expected.
Tieche said that Youngstown, from which Canfield buys its water, increased rates Jan. 1 by 10 percent with a 4 percent increase planned for July 1.
The current rate structure charges $3.63 per 1,000 gallons used for the first 20,000 gallons. That per-1,000 gallons cost decreases to $3.25 for the next 100,000 gallons; to $2.93 per 1,000 gallons for the next 100,000 and $2.71 per 1,000 for amounts greater than 220,000 gallons.
The proposed increase would bump the rates for the first 20,000 gallons used in a quarter to $4.07 per 1,000 gallons May 1 and to $4.56 per 1,000 gallons Jan. 1, 2006.
The Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer's office also increased sewer rates this year, he said, causing the city to pass on that cost to users.
Tieche said that the last water increase, 8.5 percent, occurred last year, but customers saw decreases of 14 percent and 9.7 percent on their water bills in 2001 and 1997, respectively.
Last year, the city raised its sanitary sewer rates when its sanitary sewer fund was losing money.
City sewer customers pay $5.25 per 1,000 gallons and under the legislation, that amount would increase to $5.40 per 1,000 gallons after May 1.