Tomorrow, council members are expected to decide whether to approve a $2 increase to monthly water bills. If passed, the fee would add a couple dollars a month annually for the next three years. That means, if the charge is $2 this year, it will rise to $6 by 2012, costing residents an extra $72 a year. The revenue generated from the increase will go to fund water related infrastructure problems, such as repairing the city's sanitary system and water pressure.
"It is always a challenge for people, for those who are off work and low income. That is a concern, but we still have to do the improvements and that kind of stuff," says Alderman Tom Klemm.
As Alderman Klemm mentioned, some aldermen are against the improvement plan because they feel residents just can't afford the increase.