Proposed increases in municipal water rates, water deposits, water reconnect fees and monthly garbage collection charges will be submitted to the White Hall City Council on Monday, Mayor Noel Foster.
The municipal Street, Water and Sewer Committee agreed last week to recommend the increases to the council on June 18. The rates can be increased by ordinance.
Foster recommended increasing the monthly fee for weekly residential trash collections from $12 to $12.50, noting “it has been years” since the waste collector received an increase in the monthly rate. Under the city’s contract with Waste Management the company can request rate increases to offset higher collection costs, including fuel, the mayor added.
To avoid a deficit in the water department operations, Foster recommended raising the monthly charge for the first 1,000 gallons of water used by a household or business from $5.50 to $6; increasing the rate for the next 2,000 to 10,000 gallons from $2.20 to $2.70 a month; and the monthly charge for more than 10,000 gallons from $1.74 to $2.24.
The department operated at a loss last year because of the expense of replacing two pumps of city wells and replacing antiquated water meters, he told committee members. While the city now buys water from United Water Arkansas, the municipality is responsible for maintenance of the distribution system, including water meters.
Even with the proposed increases, the White Hall’s water rates will remain below other area water systems, he said. Foster said he anticipates the average household will see a $2 to $3 increase in monthly water charges, with little impact on low volume users. He recommended increasing the deposit fee for water service from $50 to $150, noting that renters who move out have outstanding water bills that exceed their deposit. Hiking the reconnect fee for water service from $30 to $50 will basically cover the water department’s labor to shut off water services, and then reconnect the service at a later date, Foster said.
Foster said the increases, if approved by aldermen, would appear on August statements mailed by the city.