Water and sewer rates in the city of Astoria are set to increase 2 percent each in the next fiscal year, beginning in July.

A sewer surcharge to pay off debt acquired in the combined sewer overflow projects is set to increase an additional 4 percent.

The increases passed 4-1 at the City Council meeting Monday night, with Councilman Drew Herzig voting against the increase.

I realize we have to pay for the sewer, and water, and the CSO kind of thing, but again, Im concerned that Astoria is going to become unaffordable for people with middle, low or fixed income, Herzig said.

Mayor Willis Van Dusen and members Karen Mellin, Russ Warr and Arline LaMear voted in favor of the increase.

There were a few gasps in the audience Monday as the increase already approved by all five members of the City Council in the budget   was presented by City Manager Paul Benoit.

The increase means for the average customer using 7,500 gallons, the water bill will be $43.64, breaking down to $3.59 per 1,000 gallons, plus a base rate charge of $16.71. Based on the same amount of gallons used, sewage costs total $34.50. Together, thats $78.14 per month less than St. Helens, Scappoose, Cannon Beach, Seaside and Warrenton. Warrentons city commission just approved a 5 percent increase to its average monthly bill of $89.47, using the same 7,500 gallon formula, according to a data sheet provided by the city of Astoria.

The CSO surcharge totals $26.57.

The surcharge is the addendum you see on your bill that relates to all the work being done around town, Benoit explained.

In response to a question from an audience member about when the increases would end, he said the projects will continue until the 2020 deadline, when federal mandates are met preventing sewage from overflowing into the Columbia River. That is when increases will cease to climb.

However, it will still be another 10 years after that to pay off the debt, so dont expect bills to roll back to a lower rate that year, he cautioned. In all, the CSO projects are expected to cost $40 million.

That adjustment is specifically tied to debt service payments that we have to make for funds borrowed to do this work, Benoit said. As an example, the work underway right now is a $7 million project. We are not obligated to pay on the funds borrowed for that until the project is completed.

So in the next fiscal year, well be calculating the debt service and proposing another adjustment to pay that debt.

Herzig said he would like to see the city look into having a fund for low income residents needing assistance with their bills. Mellin said both Clatsop Community Action and the Womens Resource Center already have options for those in need.

 

In other City Council news;

Members voted 4-1 to trade properties with Jim Neikes to acquire land on Williamsport Road that will allow for a road expansion when the schools new sports complex is completed. The complex, to be built by Columbia Memorial Hospital on the citys former landfill in exchange for Warren Field, will host football, baseball, track, and other sporting events. The land being swapped by the city is located on the south side of West Kensington Avenue. Herzig voted against the trade because he said it was an urban forest he felt the community may be against giving up, as was voiced during a discussion of development last year. Benoit said that parcel however has never been discussed in the past, or considered for development.

Williamsport Road resident Dolores Skillstad was opposed to the proposal for a different reason. She said the property owned by Neikes that the city is obtaining is not city of Astoria property and belongs to the town of Williamsport. She asked for the city to hold off on voting until members could be better informed. A vote was taken, with Van Dusen, LaMear, Mellin and Warr voting in favor of the trade.

Councilwoman Arline LaMear announced she is a first-time grandmother. She recently returned from a trip, that included a stop in Sandpoint, Idaho, where a sign reads, Sandpoint is a walking town, please stop for pedestrians. She suggested the city look into posting similar signs in Astoria to help with pedestrian safety issues.

Herzig was announced to be the newest motorman on the Astoria Riverfront Trolley. Van Dusen made the announcement, noting that Herzig received the highest score of any motorman in the Astoria Trolleys history on the test to become a volunteer.

The Astoria City Council meeting July 15 has been cancelled, because city officials will be in Waldorf, Germany, for the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship.