City officials and administration have strived to keep sewer rates and fees as low as possible for city residents. However, circumstances have made it necessary to enact a rate increase for the sewer portion of the City’s utility bill. This is the second increase in sewer rates within last few years. The first increase was $5.32 bringing the total cost to $23.32; the City will again increase the fee by $4.00 to offset additional costs associated with the Central Weber Sewer Improvement District expansion project.

The treatment plant is currently undergoing a $140 million upgrade and expansion. To finance the project, the District has increased the rates it charges to the city. These rates have been proposed to increase incrementally over a three year period beginning in 2009. As such, the City’s quarterly payment to the District is increasing by $69,000 per year. Secondly, the City did not pass along the recent District increase in 2010 service year, thus the City has been subsidizing the district expansion project with unsupported revenue sources.

More information on this fee increase can be found in the March 22, 2011 City Council Meeting Minutes.