NORTH OGDEN — The city council is giving residents a chance to hear more about changes to water rates.
It will revisit the issue Tuesday night because of some confusion on the rate increase.
When the council approved the rate increase in January, it was approving only the increase to the base water rate, which went from $6 to $6.49.
The rate for per-gallon usage also increased, which the council did not understand at the time of the vote.
The question was raised as to whether the increase for per-gallon usage was even needed, but Mayor Richard Harris said it is.
“We still need that revenue,” he said, because of inflation and less excess money in the water budget.
Some council members worried that residents also may not have understood there was a per-gallon increase and want to give residents a chance to speak about it.
“My concern is the transparency issue,” Councilman Justin Fawson said, adding he doesn’t want residents to be surprised when their bills are higher than the flat-rate increase.
Residents were told last month their increase would be $2.80 per month, but that is only the flat-rate increase.
The average water usage for a North Ogden household figures to be about 5,000 gallons per month, said Finance Director Debbie Cardenas.
That would make utility increases go up by $3.41 rather than the $2.80, she said.
For residents using more than 20,000 gallons, the monthly increase would be $5.72. Those falling into that category of high-water use on average use 23,999 gallons, Cardenas said.
Harris suggested holding another public hearing to give residents a chance to voice concerns over the sliding scale, but many on the council didn’t want to go that expense and suggested posting the information on the city website and letting residents speak on the issue at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
It will not be a public hearing, but residents can speak during the time set aside for public comment.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the city council offices, 505 E. 2600 North.
For a breakdown on all of the utility increases, visit www.northogdencity.com.
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