Lind council discusses utility rates as budget prep begins

Lind Mayor Paula Bell has started preparations for preparing the town’s 2020 budget by having the town council discuss how to handle utility rates at a special meeting on Oct. 15.

Currently, Lind residents pay $151 a month for water, sewage and garbage. The charges breakdown as follows: $62 for water, $69.50 for sewage and $19.50 for garbage.

A town ordinance automatically raises the cost of water by 1.73% and sewage by 1.74% every year. Garbage rates cannot increase without action by the town council and would require multiple public hearings.

The town pays separately for garbage pickup and solid waste disposal. So far, in 2019, the town has paid the county as little as $1,602 and as much as $3,636 in its monthly solid waste disposal bill. This is in addition to the rates it pays for trash to be collected. The county is also raising disposal rates, so Bell asked the council to consider raising garbage rates.

Bell presented three options to the council. One is to do nothing. That would let the ordinance raise the water and sewage rate while keeping the garbage rate the same. The monthly rate for residents would be $153.27.

The second plan would involve raising the garbage rates by 50 cents a month in addition to increases in water and sewage slightly lower than the ordinance would enact. This plan would make the monthly rate $154.

The third plan would be to cancel the increases to water and sewage and impose a $1 increase to garbage. This plan would make the monthly rate $152.

Moving forward with options two or three would require public hearings. The council has scheduled the first public hearing for Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m.