Water use rates in the City of Wayland will be increased if the City Council Aug. 19 agrees to adopt an ordinance.
The council had a public hearing Monday night on rate increases, including a presentation by City Manager Josh Eggleston explain why it has to be done.
The city manager said the last time rates were increased was in 2010, which has resulted in a significant drop in revenue. He added that if the city had a crisis in its water supply, it would have less than $500,000 in reserve funds, which would be woefully inadequate to pay for repairs or replacement.
The city’s base rate for all these years was $7.75 per month for light users. The average rate is $10.50 per household per month.
Under the four-year plan proposed for 2,000-gallon customers, rates would go up to $11.71 this year, $15.50 in 2020, $20 in 2021 and $21 in the fourth year.
For average customers using 4,500 gallons at $16.76, the monthly rates would be $21.75 this year, $25.38 in 2020, $27.50 in 2021 and $28.50 in the fourth year.
Higher rates would be applied to heavier users, such as industries and businesses.
Noting the city has fallen behind in charging for water, Eggleston maintained, “We can’t fix everything in one or two years, so we’re looking at a four-year plan.
The lowest rates are for three-quarter inch mains, the highest are for two-inch mains.
“We want to avoid a sticker shock increase,” the city manager said. “And automatic increases (in years afterward) would depoliticize the process.”
Eggleston said if the city would have imposed 3 percent increases annually since 2010, it would have resulted in $3.5 million more in revenue.
He said it is virtually impossible to compare Wayland’s water rates with Plainwell, Otsego or Allegan because in all cases it would be apples to oranges.
However, he noted, “We are significantly lower than many other communities.”
The city held the first reading of the proposed ordinance after the hearing and will take up the second reading Aug. 19 for possible adoption.
In other business, council members were near unanimous in praise of the local Department of Public Works clearing fallen trees and debris from roadways during the July 20 storm.
Eggleston said the popular splash pad in the City Park was negatively impacted, but it’s back up and running.
Council members Joe Kramer and Jennifer Antel said new Main Street Director Julia Sturvist was decisive in handling the conditions caused by the weather in her first-ever event.
“She’s still working for us, isn’t she?” quipped Eggleston.
Water is water is water. The only difference is how you get it out of the ground and delivered to the consumer. Many have their own wells outside the city and pay electrical bills to pump it out of the aquifer. Wayland city citizens and businesses are at the mercy of the city for their water.
With the city manager saying comparing water bills with other towns is like comparing apples and oranges is a farcical statement. Each town uses electricity, sanitizer (chlorine), and piping to deliver water to users. I challange the City Manager to do a comparison with other cities in the county to see where Wayland stands in relation to other monthly charged water rates. I know Wayland charges, as of a few years ago, twice what any other city charges for water and sewer hook-up rates. I doubt they’ve changed that disparity. With all the residential and commercial building going on, Wayland should be flush in cash. That is presuming all water and sewer charges are deposited in a dedicated account and not in the general fund where the City Council can spend it for other things.
I find the proposed rate changes over the next 4 years are preposterous. Almost a 75% increase over four years for the average user! Is this guy for serious?
I demand the City Council ask for a comparison for water rate costs and water and sewage hook-up rates to have their eyes opened.
Wayland is the highest taxed city in the county, will it soon have the highest water rates also? Is the city encouraging more residential and commercial development?
Not likely with these foolish ideas.
I was the one who reported the apples and oranges. I was paraphrasing the city manager’s comments. It was not a direct quote.
Mr. Young,
I’m sure your paraphrasing was close to what was implied by the city manager. He needs to show numbers in comparison to other county cities for both monthly water rate charges and also water and sewage hook-up rates.
To not do a comparison is insulting to the citizens paying the freight and if the City Council does not ask for more comparison information, they will be complicit voting without factual information.
I would encourage a Council member be in the conversations with other cities to determine average monthly water rates and the one time charge for water and sewage hook-up for both residential and commercial. I’m sure it would be entertaining just to find out the high costs we citizens pay compared to other cities in the county.