Council examines sewer rates

City staff and the Sisters City Council are taking a hard look at the city's sewer rates.

At a workshop Thursday evening, the council explored a couple of options to bring the sewer fund back to health. According to City Manager Andrew Gorayeb, the fund's gross revenues are currently budgeted at approximately $688,000; they need to hit $768,000 to bring the fund into balance.

Sewer rates were pegged at $39 per EDU (equivalent dwelling unit) when the municipal wastewater system was established in 2000. In 2009, that rate was reduced to $35.70 to compensate for a water rates increase.

According to Gorayeb, the council is looking at a couple of options to increase gross revenues in the sewer fund. One option is a straight rate increase to $40 per EDU. Another possibility is to change the way the city calculates what each account owes.

The city currently bases its charges off per-EDU usage in January, February, and March - for most accounts the lowest usage months. The city could change that methodology to a calculation based on a year-round average of usage.

The change in methodology could modify the requirement for a per-EDU rate increase. City staff will research the impacts of rate and/or calculation methodology changes and present findings to the council for possible action at the first council meeting in August.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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