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Kirksville Residents to Pay Higher Utilities in 2017

Kirksville
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Kirksville residents will pay about $2.00 more per month on their water and sewage utility bill next year.

The Kirksville City Council approved the increase in a 4-1 vote in order to make sure the city is generating enough revenue to run the system.

Every year the City of Kirksville takes a look at utilities to ensure costs are being covered effectively.

Kirksville Finance Director Lacy King wrote that the utility rates must be a set at a level so the city can “pay operations and maintenance costs, pay the principal and interest on State Revolving Loan Fund bonds, ensure the net operating revenues are equal to or greater than 110 percent of the annual debt service, provide sufficient reserves to pay debt of service, and provide sufficient reserves to pay debt service and to ensure protection and integrity of the systems.”

Most residents will see their utility bill go from $50.80 to $52.82 per month.

According to the data included in the report, next year a tear 1 customer will pay a 14-cent increase on their water volume fee, Tier 2 will pay a 13-cent increase and Tier 3 will pay a 12-cent increase.

The Kirksville City Manager, Mari Macomber said one of the main reasons for the increase was to accommodate the costs for the new water treatment plant. She said the city has been planning for the plant since 2010 and that the extra costs are necessary in order to pay off the State Revolving Loan Fund.

Macomber said that the increase goes right along with the growth of the city.

“With the development that we have going on, there are some additional costs that are incurred as well with the Kraft Heinz expansion," Macomber said. "We’ve got a couple of hotels coming in, so the result of all of those things, what the residents will see for the most part is an increase of $2.02 per month." 

According to The Kirksville Daily Express report, council member Rick Steele was the sole "no" vote on the measure, saying he “received a lot of phone calls from people on fixed incomes, and I just wanted the Council to know that there are people in opposition of this.”

Macomber said no citizens voiced any concerns at the multiple public hearings and city council meetings.