Good Hope residents will be paying a little more in their sewer bills every month after the Good Hope City Council passed a 10 percent rate increase Monday night.

The rate increase set the price of $11.23 for the first 3,000 gallons of water for residences and $3.21 per 1,000 gallons from 3,000 to 10,000 gallons. 

Business rates were increased to $38.49 for the first 3,000 gallons of water, $6.41 per 1,000 gallons from 3,000 to 10,000 gallons, $5.78 per 1,000 gallons from 10,000 to 15,000 gallons and $5.25 per 1,000 gallons for all over 15,000 gallons.

That increase should equal around $1 more per month for the city’s residents, said Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett.

He said Good Hope has one of the lowest sewer rates in the state, even after the 10 percent increase, but the city needs more funding to take care of the existing sewer and prepare for future growth.

“We’ve got sewer lines that are old and our pump station is getting some age on it,” he said. “It just takes so much maintenance.”

Bartlett said the city has expanded its sewer into a few new areas over the past few years, and there are more people moving into the area and businesses that are looking at the land around the recently-built Exit 305 on Interstate 65, so further expansion is likely in the future, he said.

“It’s a constant battle to try to get sewer to everybody, so we just feel like we’re justified in trying to help us out a little bit with these rates,” he said. 

 

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 138.