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Sewer Rate To Climb By 50 Cents
A modest increase to Buena Vista’s sewer rate is being proposed so that the city can be eligible for financial assistance to pay for a major upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant.
City Council is holding public hearings Thursday on the city budget for fiscal year 2024-25 and a proposal to raise the sewer rate 50 cents per 1,000 gallons of water, from $8.54 to $9.04. For an average customer’s usage of 4,000 gallons of water each month, the proposed hike would amount to $2 per month.
The proposed city budget for next year calls for general fund expenditures of $16,510,954, which would be an increase of $1,020,107, or about 6.5 percent over this year. Aside from the sewer rate hike, no other rate or fee increases are proposed.
Reassessments, which are purportedly pushing up property values by 40 percent, have not yet been completed so the present real estate tax rate of $1.27 per $100 has not been adjusted to account for the rising property values. Once the reassessments are in, it is expected that City Council will lower the real estate tax rate.
The proposed budget includes funding for a new position of marketing administrative assistant in the office of community development. A position of human resources coordinator in the city finance department is being elevated to human resources director and separated into its own department.
Two patrol officer positions are being added to the police department. Two of the school resource officer positions that have been within the sheriff’s department are being shifted to the police department.
The proposed budget includes funding of $193,810 for the library, which would be an increase of $46,483, or 31.6 percent – the largest oneyear increase ever. This extra funding will allow the Buena Vista Library to be open six days a week. The library has been closed on Fridays since the outset of the pandemic.
Local funding for the schools stands at 2,408,493, which would be an increase of $114,690, or 4.8 percent, over the present year.
City employees would be given 5 percent pay raises, according to the proposed budget.
City Council is expected to approve the budget at its May 16 meeting. A reduction to the real estate tax rate, once the reassessments are in, will likely be enacted in June or July.
