SNOHOMISH – The city has calculated that new utility rates recently approved by the City Council will add between $8 and $17 to the monthly bills of residents.
A typical homeowner would pay about $105 monthly, up from about $94, city officials say.
That’s the biggest hike in recent years for customers, City Councilman Doug Thorndike said. But that’s because the city has used a reserve to moderate hikes for several years.
| The city of Snohomish has a program to assist low-income senior citizens and low-income people with disabilities to pay for utilities. If qualified, they can get about a 50 percent discount in utility rates.
Apply for the program at City Hall, 116 Union Ave. For more information, call the city at 360-568-3115. |
The reserve is gone, Thorndike said.
“Now we have a catch-up,” he said.
In addition to labor cost increases, multiple factors play into the projected rate hikes, said Brad Nelson, the city’s support services director. Those include:
* Everett has decided to charge Snohomish more for water.
* Snohomish needs to raise sewer rates as it tries to make its sewer system compliant with the federal Endangered Species Act.
* Storm water costs are going up, partly because the city plans to spend $300,000 over the next three years to improve water quality at Blackmans Lake.
* A contractor is raising recycling rates for Snohomish, which now pays less than other cities in the county.
The city has a program to assist low-income senior citizens and low-income people with disabilities, Nelson said. If qualified, they can get a discount of about 50 percent on utility rates.
Federal environmental requirements have caused utility rates to go up, city manager Larry Bauman said. In 2006, the city plans to hire a consultant to pursue state and federal grants that would reduce the burden on Snohomish taxpayers, he said.
“That’s one of the key tasks we have” next year, Bauman said.
The city expects new sales tax revenues in the future from a proposed economic development on Bickford Avenue, Thorndike said. The Snohomish Station development, anchored by Home Depot, is expected to be the biggest retail development in the city for years to come.
After new City Council members take office in January, Thorndike said, he will suggest that the city use part of the new sales tax revenues to mitigate utility rates in the future.
“I don’t think we will be able to do much in 2006 budget cycle,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@ heraldnet.com.
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