BYRON — Byron city leaders are considering whether to increase the planned sewer rate hike from 7% percent to 10% for the upcoming fiscal year as they work to address rising costs tied to the wastewater treatment plant project, with officials saying a final decision has not been made but a proposal will move forward for council consideration. The 3% additional increase could affect average households in Byron by less than $2 per month.
City Administrator Patricia Diduch said it will not be an easy decision, as they have to come up with a solution to keep the $30 million dollar project on track.
“One of the things that is a difficult part of municipal budgeting is trying to plan in advance and raise the revenue that you need to reinvest back into your capital infrastructure,” she said Wednesday night.
Diduch said the increase could help reduce a projected $2.6 million multi-year funding gap while limiting the need for larger increases later.
“If instead of the regularly scheduled 7% percent rate increase, for one year increases to 10%, I think we are really going to be using the theory of compound interest and being able to make that money work better and harder for us so that we can prevent any additional rate increases.”
The Byron City Council could see proposed legislation reflecting the rate changes at their next meeting.