HAWTHORNE : Council Approves 10% Increase in Water Rates

The City Council has approved a 10% increase in the cost of water, the first in a series of rate hikes that over five years could add up to 44% to users’ bills.

The increases, officials say, are necessary to offset rising water costs.

A water rate study completed late in the summer revealed that consumers’ water rates have not risen since 1989. During that time, the cost of water that the city buys from outside sources has gone up almost 200%, said Charles Herbertson, director of public works. The city has been absorbing the cost, he said.

A single-family household that pays about $24 a month will pay nearly $27 a month by the end of the year. If planned rate increases are approved, that household could pay as much as $37 a month by 1999. For large water users, including apartment buildings and businesses, the costs could reach hundreds of dollars a month, according to the report.

Council members Steven Andersen, Ginny M. Lambert and Betty J. Ainsworth voted for the increase. Mayor Larry Guidi and Councilwoman Martha Bails voted against it.

“I couldn’t see voting for another tax increase on the community,” Guidi said. “We’re coming back again after raising the utility users fee and asking for money without reorganizing the city.”

The rate increases initially will raise enough money to keep the water department from dipping into the city’s general fund, Herbertson said. If the additional increases are passed, the revenue would be used to upgrade the city’s water system, including replacing aging water mains and increasing the capacity of the water treatment plant, he said.