Rate hikes planned for water, sewer

Libby city water and sewer customers can expect modest rate increases following the adoption of a preliminary 2006-2007 budget by the city council last Wednesday.

The budget includes proposed increases of 3.4 percent for water and 4.4 percent for sewer. The water rate increase reflects the overall cost of living adjustment also represented by pay raises for city employees. The sewer increase adds an additional percentage point to help cover rising maintenance costs at the 20-year-old plant, said Mayor Tony Berget.

"Sewer is so tight," he said. "There's just nothing extra, and $10,000 items are breaking now."

The proposed water budget also increases the summer — June through August — sprinkling allowance from 3,000 gallons per month to 4,000 gallons, Berget said.

Current base water rates are $23.54 per month for city customers and $29.43 outside the city. Basic sewer service, offered only within the city limits, is $16.06 per month. The proposed increases would add about 80 cents per month for city water customers, $1 for water customers outside the city and 70 cents for sewer customers.

For the past several years, the city has been budgeting block-by-block water main replacements as part of a long-range plan to bring leaks under control and bring the aging water infrastructure up to date. Berget said he hopes the new budget will cover the replacement of three sections of main, including a project already under way along the 400 block of Montana Avenue.

The 2006-2007 budget also includes funds for a new police car and a new front-end loader for snow removal, Berget said, along with $12,000 for sidewalk and curb replacement and a few thousand dollars for new streetlights.

The general fund budget remains close to last year at around $1 million, with another $913,000 in the water budget and $350,000 for sewer.

The city will hold a hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, with final adoption planned for Monday, Aug. 21. A hearing on water and sewer rates will be scheduled after the adoption of the budget.