Water, sewer rates in Delta may jump

The cost of using water from Delta is about to nearly double.

Mayor Bonnie Bradshaw said the news is upsetting, but "we're in a position where we have to bite the bullet."

The water and sewer system is currently losing at least $20,000 a year, she said.

"It has to be self-sufficient. Delta is like a business. Like any business, the books have got to balance," she said.

The city will host a public hearing at 7 p.m. today to discuss proposed water and sewer fees. The ordinance being considered would set charges at $13.37 for the first 2,000 gallons of water and $1.46 each additional 1,000 gallons. The new rate proposed for sewer service is $5.65 for the first 2,000 gallons and $1.15 for each additional 1,000 gallons.

Bradshaw said the current base rate for a water bill is $6 for the first 2,000 gallons, followed by diminishing costs.

"If you get up to 8,000 gallons, you're only paying 50 cents for every 1,000 gallons. That's not right. The citizens have to realize something has to be done for this," she said.

It has been years, perhaps decades, since a rate increase, according to former city councilman Harold Looney.

He campaigned against Bradshaw for the mayor's seat early this year.

While Looney agrees rates must go up, he is unhappy with the single large jump.

"We're not used to it, Delta is more or less a retirement town," he said. When he was on city council, "the plan was to raise the rates by $2 a year, but nobody wanted to do that."

Bradshaw said most people living in Delta have an annual household income between $21,000 and $25,000.

"I'm on a fixed income myself, and it's not going to be easy for me, but I also realize it's going to have to be done if we want to move forward," she said.

The city has already begun some state-mandated improvements, such as getting the city's 50,000-gallon water tower painted and having new shut-off valves installed.

"If we do not do anything, we're going to have the kind of problems Chaffee is having," she said.

The current sewer system was installed in 1976. The water and sewer system have been periodically upgraded, but not always at a pace city officials wanted. Federal funds needed to expand the water system and add a well and pump were denied the city in 1985; a 1990 application for federal money was rejected.

Delta City Hall is inside the Delta Community Center at 211 E. State St.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127