By Jennifer Langston
Herald Writer
People who get their water from the Snohomish PUD will have to pay an extra dollar a month on average beginning in January.
The PUD board on Tuesday approved a 21 percent increase in water rates over the next four years to finance repairs and new construction on water pipes, pumps and tanks.
They also decided to raise a fee charged to new homeowners when they hook onto the water system, after discovering current fees weren’t bringing in enough to accommodate that growth.
A typical family will see its monthly bill rise gradually from $21.15 to $25.60 over the next four years, according to the PUD.
The fee charged to people building new homes will increase from $2,085 to $2,705 during that period, not including inflation.
The rate hikes were necessary because for the last several years the utility has been about $500,000 short of what it needs to maintain and expand its water system, said Clair Olivers, assistant general manager for water resources.
He said the PUD’s been able to get away with putting off some of that work. But over time it becomes less economical to keep repairing 50-year-old pipes.
"It’s sort of like not replacing the roof on your house — you can go for a ways before it comes back to haunt you," he said. "After a while, you have to do something."
The PUD’s water department serves about 13,500 customers around Lake Stevens, Granite Falls and in pockets throughout the county.
Over the last few years, the utility’s customers have been growing by about 5.8 percent annually. Laying new pipe and building new reservoirs for them will also drive up costs, Oliver said.
The increased revenue will help pay to extend a water main from the Machias Road area north to Lake Stevens and Arlington. It also will finance a new water storage tank serving part of Lake Stevens.
The board weighed three options to raise the additional money. One would have put the burden entirely on current customers by raising their rates even more.
Another would have shifted more of the cost to people who need water for new developments.
The board chose an option that split the difference, a decision that PUD commissioner Kathy Vaughn said seemed fairest.
"I don’t believe growth should pay for itself entirely," she said. "I think a balanced approach makes the most sense."
Brian Anderson, a Lake Roesiger resident and the only member of the public to speak on the rate hikes Tuesday, said he hoped the board wouldn’t raise development fees excessively.
When a new road is built, for example, everyone enjoys the benefits, he said.
"Part of a democracy is that everyone shares the costs," he said.
You can call Herald Writer Jennifer Langston at 425-339-3452 or send e-mail to langston@heraldnet.com.
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