Somerton approves higher water, sewer rate fees

 SOMERTON - As of February, Somerton residents and businesses that use a lot of water will see a higher rate increase.

  The increase applies to anyone who consumes more than 10,000 gallons of water per month. The fee will go up to $2.40 a day for each additional 1,000 gallons of water, instead of the current $1.99.

  The cost will be higher for those who consume more than 20,000 gallons of water - $2.90 per 1,000 additional gallons of water.

 The plan approved by a majority vote of the  city council Tuesday includes an increase in the sewer fee, which will go from $28.99 per month to $34.75.
 City council members chose this option over several proposals presented by Dan Jackson, president of The Economists.com.

 An option that was discarded proposed an annual 5 percent water fee increase until it reached $14.23 by October 2012 compared with the current fee of $11.

 “We are following a plan which we consider to be the least costly to residents," said Vice Mayor Martin Porchas. "We left the water fee at its current rate of $11 per month, but those who consume more water will pay more. We’ve managed to avoid an increase for a long time. We voted against it last year, but it is now necessary,”

 Porchas added that this measure will be of benefit to the city in the future because it will lead residents to conserve water, something they have not been able to promote in Somerton.

 He said the increase in the sewer fee is necessary to support an application for federal funds for a water treatment plant. The current infrastructure is about to reach its maximum capacity.

 “If the city were able to access enough funds for this project, we could keep the current water fees. We are hoping the new presidency approves funds for these types of projects, and that way we wouldn’t have to increase fees,” Porchas explained.

 According to the study, the new plan will protect those who use water for daily use such as washing dishes, showers, washing clothes but will charge extra for those who use the water outside the home such as to water the lawn and gardens or washing their vehicles.

 Nonetheless, the plan calls for a gradual increase on the base fee in four years. Although, they clarified, the fee would still be lower than the state average.