Kewanee Council hikes fees for water, sewer, trash
The City Council Monday approved a three-year series of increases in the fees for city water, sewer and trash pickup services.
“Not a single one of us sitting up here likes the idea of raising anything,” Mayor Gary Moore said before the increases were approved on a unanimous vote.
The ordinance approved by the council increased the basic monthly fee for the services from the current $43 to $51 starting in January 2023. The fee will be $55 in 2024 and $58 in 2025.
The usage fees for the three services were not changed.
Public Works Director Kevin Newton explained that part of the increase in the sewer fee was to make the annual payments on a mid-90s bond issue that financed work on the sewerage system in the city.In the past, the city has levied a property tax to make the annual bond payments, but that levy — which averages $60 per household — will no longer be necessary.
Newton pointed out that the water fee had not been raised since 2016, and the solid-waste fee has been the same since 2017.
Costs for fuel and personnel, among many other things, have increased substantially since then, he said. New trucks were needed in the public works department, he said, and the city will soon have to pay for some repairs at the wastewater treatment plant.
Also Monday:
The council approved two variances for Chad and Penny Williams for the property at 550 Whitney Ave. The variances are to rear-yard setback and maximum lot coverage rules, which will allow for an expansion to the Williams’s garage.
Three contracts were approved for demolitions of condemned houses. Todd Boers will tear down a house at 108 W. Church St. for $10,400 and one at 125 Lyle St. for $7,400; and the low bid of $5,720 from Nellinger Excavation for a house at 905 W. Church St. was accepted.
This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Kewanee Council hikes fees for water, sewer, trash
