City of St. Francis proposes 33% price hike for water, sewer bills over next 2 years
One city north of the metro could get a flood of complaints because of the price of water.
This week, St. Francis proposed raising water and sewer bills 33% over the next two years.
St. Francis Public Works Director Paul Carpenter says the potential large hike is partly due to an unexpected rise in equipment prices at the water plant.
“Originally, there was $60,000 earmarked for it,” Carpenter said. “We’ve talked to engineering firms and gotten more accurate information that went from $60,000 to $800,000. We’re trying to be extremely transparent; that’s the best way to do this. It does stack up and create a monster increase.”
The St. Francis City Council will vote on the budget in December. City officials tell us if the budget isn’t approved, they would turn to bonds and state grants to help cover costs at the water plant.
