Melissa utility customers are now paying more for water and sewer service. A new city fee schedule that the City Council approved 7-0 on Sept. 8 took effect Oct. 1, raising water rates 7% and sewer rates 6%.
Finance Director Cheryl Fields' memo to the council tied the increase to higher wholesale costs for water and sewer service. The city reviews its utility rates every year under its financial policies to make sure they cover what it costs to run the system.
What changed on a typical home bill
For a standard 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch residential meter, the ordinance sets:
- Water base charge: $29.62 a month, up from $27.68.
- Water usage, first 10,000 gallons: $7.14 per 1,000 gallons, up from $6.67. Higher tiers rise to $11.45, $13.88 and $14.52 per 1,000 gallons.
- Sewer base charge: $28.59 a month, up from $26.97.
- Sewer usage: $10.23 per 1,000 gallons, up from $9.65.
Using those published rates, a household billed for 5,000 gallons of water and 5,000 gallons of sewer would pay about $145.06 a month for both services, compared with about $136.25 under the old rates, an increase of roughly $8.81. Actual bills depend on each household's usage and how its sewer volume is calculated.
