Correction appended.
Over the next four years, Athens residents will likely see a steady increase in their water bills.
Based on projections provided by Paula Horan-Moseley, the city’s service-safety director, the average residential water bill in the city was $24.65 in 2016. By 2021, that number could be $34.25 — a nearly 40 percent increase.
Horan-Moseley said in an email the projected increase would largely be due to the $6 million renovations that will begin on the city’s water treatment plant this year, which has not been upgraded since the 1960s.
“The City is actively planning for our Water Treatment Plant (WTP) upgrades with Phase 1 design engineering to begin this year in 2017, thus the water rate increase, as well as our duty to upgrade the distribution system (waterlines) and other capital expenditures such as new meters,” Horan-Moseley said in the email.
Ron Lucas, the city’s deputy service safety director, said the projected increase would be due to the water fund being non-tax based.
“Some funds are funded through tax dollars, and some are completely proprietary,” Lucas said. “Water is one of those proprietary funds, so it relies on income from bills to keep it going.”
Lucas said the projections are not final, and the numbers could change based on need. Those projections have not been approved by city council.
“It’s a proposed rate increase now,” he said. “For example, the 2017 increase is proposed to be 6 percent, but the 2018 increase isn’t even proposed yet.”“It’s a proposed rate increase now,” he said. “For example, the 2017 increase is proposed to be 6 percent, but the 2018 increase isn’t even proposed yet.”
June Safranek, a resident of Athens and a member of the West Side Neighborhood Association, said the current prices in the City of Athens were fair, but called the increase “a big jump.”
“I’ve seen a lot of other cities and towns, and I think we get good service for what we have to pay,” Safranek said.
Safranek said the $10 average increase has larger implications for the city.
“You add that much more a month on one small thing, that in itself isn’t so much, but then they’re going to jack up the cost of housing,” she said.
Housing prices in Athens are already high, she added.
“Compared to Columbus, the cost of housing is outrageous in Athens,” she said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Tiffany McPherson, office manager at Best of Athens Rentals, 35 1/2 Stimson Ave., said housing prices could drop due to an increase in water bills.
“One of the first questions that a lot of students ask is ‘what are the utilities’ because they have to factor that into their monthly expenses, as well as their rent,” McPherson said. “You might see total monthly rent going down a bit to compensate for that.”
Lucas said the city will work with people who have difficulty paying their bills, but noted the bills have to be paid.
“If people are in good standing, which is very typical, we try to work with them or get them an extension ... to help them out,” Lucas said. “Ultimately, it is a service that is provided, just like the utility bill.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly quantified the projected percent increases to the city's water bills, and did not fully indicate those projections had not been finalized. The article has been updated with the most accurate information.
