City sewer rates to increase
May 15—St. Joseph residents haven't seen a sewer rate increase since 2017. That changes on July 1 when a 4.25% rate hike takes effect.
The St. Joseph City Council approved the measure Monday, ending a six-year stretch with no increase in the rate charged for municipal sewer service. The new rates were approved unanimously as part of a larger consent agenda.
"It's a bitter pill but it's something that has to happen," said John Josendale, mayor of St. Joseph. "We think for the long term, we have to take this step now and move forward with it."
At 4.25%, this latest increase pales in comparison to the double-digit percentage rate hikes that sewer customers saw for a 10-year period when the city embarked on more than $152 million in government-mandated system upgrades to prevent sewage overflows. That included increases of 19% in 2009 and 17% in 2014. During that stretch, the total cost per month rose from around $20 to more than $65 for a typical customer.
A previous council voted to use about $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to keep sewer bills stable for a few more years, but that was seen as a short-term fix. A consultant conducted a study that recommended an increase in rates to cover rising operational costs as well as an expected increase in debt-service requirements used to finance system improvements.
"A lot of this is things that happened in the past," Josendale said. "The former council put it off for a couple of years. We're really just trying to catch up."
The council's action also comes on the heel of a 20% increase in water rates, which takes effect later this month, and Evergy's 4.2% increase in electric rates earlier this year. While the council doesn't set rates for investor-owned utilities, the overall rise in utility bills makes this latest increase hard for some to swallow.
Two people, including a KQTV reporter who was covering the meeting, came to the podium to speak out against the rate hike during a public hearing. They were the only members of the public to speak about rates.
"I retired in St. Joe because it was a lovely place and a reasonable place to live," said Jim Weidinger, a St. Joseph man who regularly attends council meetings. "It's getting a little tight."
City Manager Bryan Carter said the city has taken some steps to reduce the burden of sewer bills, including reduced staffing at the water-protection plant and an extension of the debt obligation over a longer time period.
Greg Kozol can be reached at greg.kozol@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowKozol.
