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Canfield council passes water bill increase
By AMANDA TONOLI
CANFIELD
City residents will see at least a 10 percent increase on their water bills in 2016.
Council members finalized the water-bill increase in an attempt to get rid of an old ordinance that set up a different rate structure for users.
The old ordinance had those who used more water paying for it at a lower rate than those who used less water, who paid at a higher rate.
The problem council was running into was the differing rate structures.
The new ordinance will have low-end users seeing a 10 percent hike and high-end users seeing a 16 percent increase.
The previous rate, $7.55 per thousand gallons of water up to 100,000 gallons per quarter, is now $8.31 per thousand gallons of water up to 100,000 gallons of water per quarter.
Anything beyond the 100,000 gallons was $5.63 per additional thousand gallons. It now is $6.70 per additional thousand gallons per quarter.
City Manager Joe Warino said the long-range goal is to have one flat rate for all water users.
“It is a huge happening all at once, so we are doing it in steps,” Warino said of the water-bill increase.
Council also chose acting managers and the council president at Wednesday’s meeting.
In the absence of Warino, Police Chief Chuck Colucci and Finance Director Christine Clayton will act as city managers. Don Dragish continues to have his position as council president.
In other news, council continued its discussion of cutting nonmandated activities to ease the burden on the general fund.
Several council members suggested making popular nonmandated activities, such as concerts on the Green, funded by donation.
The final decision on whether to cut nonmandated activities will be made closer to the beginning of March. The city’s full budget must be finalized by March 31.
“We are hoping to have more open meetings to hear from public to give us direction as to what needs to be cut and what shouldn’t be cut,” Warino said. “We are looking for direction.”