OAKLAND CITY, IN (WFIE) -
Oakland City water bills will be 14% higher starting in July. The town council approved the measure on Tuesday.
This is going to help the city fund the updates to its current water system. Officials say parts of it are over 60 years old, but the mayor says rates could have jumped a lot higher.
We all need it, but residents in Oakland City say that soon they'll be paying more for it. Starting this summer, they say their water bills are expected to be 14% higher. Mayor Hugh Wirth says it's to fund improvements to the current water system, which is a $7 million project, but $4 million is already funded by grant money.
"Without any grant money, it would have been a 44% increase, so we were very fortunate," said Wirth.
Charlotte Gray manages two water bills, the $45 bill at her home and the bill at her restaurant, The Cozy Cove, which is usually over $150. She says she uses a lot of water for cooking and serving drinks, but she's not sure how much more she'll be paying with the increased rate.
"It is a little high. I know there's a lot of people in Oakland City who are on fixed incomes. I'll just have to absorb it and wait and see," said Gray.
Mayor Wirth says the water system improvements were desperately needed.
"No one likes to see a rate increase, but for what we're going to get out of it, this has been needed for at least 30 years," said Wirth.
Residents say they'll make the necessary adjustments to take care of their bill.
"I won't have a problem. It cuts back on my mad money," said an Oakland City resident.
"I'll probably have to make some cuts, but in this day and age that's what you have to do," said another resident.
Mayor Wirth tells 14 News that after this rate hike, customers should not see another one for several years.
Copyright 2012 WFIE. All rights reserved.
