Monday, 26 November 2007 00:44
Jackson City Council to Consider Water and Sewer Rate Increase Tonight
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Tonight, Jackson City Council will decide
whether or not to adopt a water and sewer rate increase that the city says is
needed to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars of rising operating costs for
the city’s utility systems. An effort to persuade citizens to send protest
letters that would have prevented the rate increases apparently failed. Jackson City Manager Mike Daly
said after last week’s protest deadline that letters protesting the increases
had been counted and verified, and both fell short of the votes needed to stop
the rate increase. Protest letters from over 50% of Jackson water and sewer customers were needed
to prevent the rate increase.
Protest organizer Judith Jebian observed the
letter count and received justification for all invalidated letters. Daly said
some letters received were not from Jackson
customers, and in some instances more than one letter was received for a single
property. At tonight’s city council meeting, Council members could resolve to
put the rate increase forward as proposed or they could decide to reduce or
eliminate the rate increase. Daly
said that city staff has been looking into ways the city might offer discounts
to low-income residents that would comply with state law. If adopted as proposed, the
increase of 8.5% for all water customers and 17.5% for residential and
commercial sewer customers will become effective January 1, 2008. Also
on tonight’s agenda will be selection of the next Jackson Mayor and Vice Mayor.
The Jackson City Council meeting starts at 7 pm at Jackson City Hall.
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