Century Looks At Increase For Water, Sewer Customers

November 3, 2009

The Town of Century is continuing to explore options that will ultimately lead to increase in water and sewer rates for most, if not all, of the town’s residents.

The council was set to meet Monday night with William Secoy from the Florida Rural Water Association,  authors of a rate study under consideration by the council. But Secoy was unable to attend the meeting due to a family emergency.

waterbill.jpgThe town’s accountant, Robert Hudson, told council members that the town must increase rates in order to qualify for future loans and grants from the USDA Rural Development Agency.

Hudson offered his own simple plan for raising rates — an across the board increase for most customers of 10 to 15 percent. In contrast, the Florida Rural Water Association has proposed a more complicated rate increase that would greatly increase water rates for those that use the least amount of water and often pay a minimum bill. The min

“It’s the minimum I am really concerned about,” Council President Ann Brooks said Monday night. “I looked at the ones that had really high (water) usage, and their increase was not as much.”

Council Henry Hawkins suggested that any across the board increase be phased in over a couple of years to lessen the burden on the town’s water and sewer customers.

“That will be more fair to everybody,” Hawkins said.

Hudson said he would check with Rural Development to determine if a simple percentage water and sewer rate increase would meet their requirements.

The Town of Century has not increased water and sewer rates since 1995.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News