Water, sewer rates to increase in Decatur

— A public hearing is scheduled for next month’s Decatur City Council meeting to discuss water and sewer rate increases.

Water rates will be going up for Decatur residents to pass along the increase in water prices from Benton- Washington Regional Public Water Authority, Mayor Charles Linam said at the Jan. 14 city council meeting.

The increase will be minor for most residential customers but will have more of an impact on Simmons Foods, which is Decatur’s largest water customer, Linam said.

The rates will increase $0.15 per thousand gallons of water and $0.30 per thousand gallons of sewer, according to Decatur utilities director James Boston.

Decatur does not plan to raise rates annually, like some other local cities, Boston said. The water rate increase will pass on the increase in cost from BWRPWA, and the sewer rate increase will help offset increasing costs, Boston said.

Decatur’s water rates are still comparatively low, and the city is working to come up with ways to decrease waste water costs, he said.

“We’re trying to make it as painless as possible,” he said.

The hearing will be held before the Feb. 11 Decatur City Council meeting.

In other business, city council members Bob Tharp, Nan McClain, Sandy Duncan, Robin Heath and David Sutton were sworn into office by Benton County Judge Bob Clinard, along with newly appointed city attorney Michael Nutt and newly elected city recorder/treasurer Kim Wilkins.

City councilwoman Kim Goble, who did not file to run for office in November, was re-appointed to her council seat. Goble will be sworn in at the Benton County Courthouse after submitting a record of the meeting’s minutes.

News, Pages 5 on 01/23/2013