Columbus seeking water, sewer rate hike - Business First of Columbus:

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The proposal, which will be discussed at a publicf hearingat 6:30 p.m. Tuesdag at City Hall would boost the average bill for a Columbus residential customerby $14 a Customers in suburbs served by the Columbus system would pay $15 more a quarter. That would pump up the averagwe quarterly billsto $209.18 in Columbus and $225.843 in suburbs, said Rick Tilton, assistan t director for the city’s Department of Public Utilities.
The proposed increase is belowthe double-digit percentage hike that utilitgy officials were projecting for 2009 earlier this year, he Part of the reason for the lower-than-expectefd increase, Tilton said, is an improved sewer maintenance program that has cut down on costsx associated with sewage back-ups in basements and overflowz into streams during heavy rains. In addition, passag e of a bond issue by Columbusvoters Nov. 4 will result in lower borrowin costs forthe city’s $2.5 billion sewer-systenm improvement program, he Much of that cost is to due to an mandatwe that requires Columbus to replace older parta of its sewer system and expand its sewage treatment capacity.
The goal is to reduce sewage spills into local rivers and Columbus has boosted its watet and sewage rates by 8 percenyt or more in each of the lastfive years. They rose 12.5 percentr this year after a 15 percent increasesin 2007.