By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington aldermen begin the task this evening of deciding whether to saddle constituents with hefty sewer rate increases to fund tens of millions of dollars in sewer and stormwater improvements.
City staffers recommend 11.6 percent annual increases in sewer rates, including consumption and fixed fees, over a five-year period ending in fiscal year 2023, and 8.2 percent hikes in stormwater fees during the same period.
Assuming the council makes no other changes in the future, three percent annual sewer rate increases would take effect beginning in fiscal year 2024.
For the typical household, the staff’s report said monthly sewer bills would climb in five-years from $9.50 to $16.45.
The average commercial bill, according to the city, would rise to $30.29 per month, from $17.50, during the five-year period.
The fee increases are expected to raise $136 million in revenue, which is in line with the city’s sewer and stormwater master plan the council approved two years ago.
Staffers say the current fee structure funds only a fraction of what’s needed for sewer maintenance and rehabilitation, and the recommendation comes a little more than a month after town council members in Normal adopted similar sewer rate increases.
Most of Bloomignton’s current sewer work, according to the staff, is for emergency repairs when sewer mains break.
The staff’s report said only 13 percent of city sewers have been examined with closed-circuit television cameras, and the report noted the master plan recommends up to $3 million needs to be spent for sewer lining. The staff said only $700,000 is currently budgeted for that.
Aldermen are expected to discuss the proposed fee increases, but not take action during a special session before this evening’s regularly scheduled council meeting.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].
