City of Asheboro issued the following announcement on Aug. 12.
The adopted Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget includes an increase to water and sewer rates to sustain the city’s utility system. The increase changes the inside-the-city monthly minimum water rate from the prior year’s rate of $13.91 to $15.58 and the inside-the-city sewer rate from $17.18 to $23.37. Consumption rates (usage exceeding 150CF per month) also increased; water is now $3.07 per 100CF, up from $2.74 and sewer is now $4.60 per 100CF, up from $2.81. The last rate increase was in 2014. In addition, the monthly garbage and recycling collection fees have changed; the new garbage collection fee is $18, up from $12, and the new recycling fee is $5, up from $3. These fees have not increased since 2015.
The City of Asheboro Water and Sewer Fund is intended to be entirely supported by revenues generated from its operations. The primary source of this revenue is water and sewer charges which are paid by all users. Water and sewer treatment costs have continued to rise over the years and it is much more costly to treat sewer than water. For several years, the city was able to absorb these higher costs without increasing rates by using reserves to pay for treatment plant maintenance and repairs. Recently, however, two separate needs assessments and an audit report warned that continued use of reserve funding without raising rates was unsustainable.
Likewise, garbage and recycling collection expenses have increased with fuel costs significantly affecting the city’s sanitation operation. Higher fuel costs are projected to cost the city an additional $100,000 in 2022. Despite the rate increases, the city’s fees still remain lower than those charged by most garbage collection companies operating outside the city limits.
Original source can be found here.
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