CRESTVIEW — City garbage, water and sewer customers, and new residents seeking to tap into the city’s water service, will see fee increases following unanimous approvals of three ordinances.
The City Council approved these ordinances following their second readings Monday evening. The first readings had been approved April 11.
●Ordinance 1600 will increase WastePro’s residential garbage collection fees less than a dollar to $18.16 a month for twice-weekly service. Commercial fees will increase 72 cents to $23.72. The new fees will be effective June 1, and were necessitated by the closing of WastePro’s Santa Rosa County landfill site.
●Under Ordinance 1601, residential water rates will increase June 1 by 15 cents for the minimum 2,000-gallon usage. Subsequent usage tiers each increased 5 cents. Minimum 2,000-gallon sewer rates increased 30 cents to $16.80.
“The approximate increase is 2 percent,” City Clerk Betsy Roy said. “It will be brought back before the council in October 2017 for any increase or decrease.”
●Ordinance 1602 was a request by Public Works Director Wayne Steele to increase water tap fees to bring them in line with the city’s costs.
Currently, city taxpayers fund the difference between what property owners who want water service pay to tap into Crestview’s water lines and what the city’s actual expenses are. Taxpayers’ current costs are nearly half the actual cost to tap into a water line.
The smallest tap, for a three-quarters-inch pipe, will rise from $450 to $800. A 2-inch line’s tap fee increases from $1,080 to $2,000.
INSPECTION FEES
In addition, the council approved on first reading Ordinance 1604, a proposed “modest adjustment in the building inspection fees” brought by Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard.
To implement the fees, if approved, by June 1, the ordinance will be presented for a second reading at a special meeting called for 6 p.m. May 23.
In addition, the council unanimously approved converting its second monthly meeting into a workshop unless a special meeting is called. This will be the first special meeting called under the new meeting format.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council OKs garbage, water and sewer fee increases