Sewer, water rate increase to be an estimated $12

by Nathan Arneal
Published 3/12/24

The City of North Bend continued to prep for a new waste water treatment plant at the March 5 city council meeting.

That includes an increase in water and sewer rates, which received the first of the required three readings at the meeting.

The base water rate for residential accounts will increases $1.25 a month, going from $24.50 to $25.75. The commercial rate will change from $27 to $28.35.

On the sewer side, rates will match the water rates. That means the current base rate of $22 a month will go up to $25.75, an increase of $3.75.

The two increases add up to a combined water and sewer rate increase of $5 a month for the base rates.

For consumption, the rate was $1.50 for every 1,000 gallons. That will increase to $2.50.

City clerk Theresa Busse estimated that a typical household using 3,000 gallons a month will see a total increase of about $12 on its water and sewer bill.

The rate changes will bring North Bend in line with the average rates for towns its size between 1,000 and 1,500 residents, according to a study by the Nebraska Rural Water Association. The average water rate in Nebraska for towns that size is a $25.65 base rate with a $2.46 usage rate per 1,000 gallons.

North Bend has now increased its water and sewer rates $10 in the last couple of years, and that trend is more than likely to continue. City engineers from JEO Consulting have told North Bend for years that its rates were way too low. JEO said the city will have to increase its sewer fees another $50 to pay for the new sewer plant that is on the drawing board.

Busse said the city hopes to raise rates gradually and perhaps use some sales tax money to offset the required rate increases.

Councilman Alex Legge said whoever provides North Bend the funding for the new waste water plant will dictate the rates.

“To (lend) you the money, they’re going to tell you what your rate is going to be,” Legge said.

Busse said city hall has received numerous complaints about the upcoming rate increase, many from people thinking the increase will be $50.

“They don’t understand how bad of shape the sewer plant is in,” Busse said. “They think we’re raising the rates because we want to build a new sewer plant. No, we don’t want to do this. We have to do this.”

North Bend’s waste water treatment plant was built 57 years ago and has reached the end of its useful life, according to a JEO report presented last year.

Read the full story in the print or e-edition.

<<Back to the front page