New Bern utilities customers will see an increase in both their water and sewer rates effective July 1.
The changes were approved by the New Bern Board of Aldermen during their June 13 meeting following a presentation by City Engineer Jordan Hughes.
Under the new fees, customers will see a flat rate increase of $1.67 per month for all customers in the readiness-to-serve portion of the water rate.
City of New Bern sewer rates were also amended to reflect an increase of 4.5%.
According to Hughes, revenue growth for the city’s Water Resources department is currently being outpaced by rising operational costs. Hughes said what he described as the “minor” water and sewer rate increases was necessary to make up for the rise in operating expenses that have resulted from the climbing costs of equipment and chemicals that began in 2021, when “the price of everything went through the roof.”
“The water and wastewater operations are not exempt from that,” Hughes said. “Brass fittings, pipe, and treatment chemicals costs have gone up exponentially higher than what you see for normal consumer goods…A lot of those products have gone up 100% to 200% during that time frame.”
Hughes said the current water and sewer rates have remained unchanged since 2015, when they decreased by 6% and four and a half percent, respectively. He said the decreases were made possible at that time due to organizational restructuring within the Water Resources department aimed at increasing operational efficiency.
“As a result we were able to realize some cost savings that we were able to pass along to our customers in 2015 by way of water and sewer rate reductions,” Hughes commented.
In the information packet presented to the board, Hughes included a summary of how the changes approved Tuesday will impact a typical water and sewer customer in New Bern with a monthly consumption of 4,000 gallons.
Monthly Charges
Water Charges: Existing-$33.74; New-$35.41; Change-$1.67
Sewer Charges: Existing-$37.47; New-$39.17; Change-$1.70
Total Charges: Existing-$71.21; New-$74.58; Change-$3.37
The board also approved changes to the city’s water and sewer system development and connection fees, changes that will largely impact new residential construction.
According to Hughes, depending on the size of the house, the total increase for a new home in New Bern will be somewhere between $80 and $100.
Hughes explained that the changes were proposed as part of a citywide water and sewer system development fees evaluation conducted by Rivers & Associates, Inc. A state general statute passed in 2017 mandates that municipalities must update the evaluation on a five-year timeframe.
New Bern’s last system development and connection fees evaluation was done in 2018 and those charges have remained unchanged since that time, Hughes said.
A public hearing on the proposed fee changes was conducted prior to the board’s vote. No members of the public came forward to speak.
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.