Wichita city council members reviewed a proposal on Tuesday afternoon for water and sewer rate increases for 2015.
Alan King, director of Wichita Public Works and Utilities, says the city maintains over 4,000 miles of water and sewer lines. To keep up with that infrastructure, King’s department has proposed a 6 percent increase for water and 5 percent increase for sewer.
“We need to reinvest money back into the infrastructure for our water and sewer systems—to keep them reliable and provide the level of service they’re meant to deliver,” King says.
Estimates indicate medium-use residential customers (7,500 gallons per month) will see an added $2.78 on their monthly bill. For heavy-use customers (15,000 gallons per month), that means an increase of $5.79.
For the city’s largest industrial users, like Spirit Aerosystems, it would add an estimated $3,031.
The proposal will be voted on at a city council meeting on Tuesday, December 9.
King says the proposal does not include rate increases for shoring up long-term water supplies, a solution mentioned by city officials after a one-cent sales tax was voted down in last month’s midterm election.
