RAWLINS – The Rawlins City Council approved a resolution to raise water rates during the meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Council members who voted for the increased water rates include Mayor Terry Weockum, Aaron Durst, Vice Mayor Jacquelin Wells, Darril Garner and Linda Smith. Those who did not vote in favor of the new water rates were DeBari Martinez and Chris Weisenburg.
The approval of the resolution approved the rates that were proposed by rate specialist Carl Brown in order to take care of the city’s current and future water infrastructure needs.
According to the agenda, “the last water rate increase was nearly 15 years ago. Our city water source comes from woodstave pipeline that is approximately 105 years old, which is well beyond its useful life. The line needs to be replaced, including our collections vaults and other fixes to our collection system.Roads need to be improved for better access to several miles of our pipeline. Our transmission line is in dire need of improvements, such as blow off valve replacements, air release valve replacements and other fixes.
“Our two 7.5-million-gallon tanks are in need of repair and/or replacement. The transmission line from town to the water treatment plant is in dire need of replacement. The SCADA automation system is in dire need of replacement. The pre-treatment plant needs to be repaired and updated to be able to run it properly. The majority of our water lines in town are outdated and in need of continual repair (water breaks are increasing over time which increases maintenance costs).”
According to the agenda, without raising the rates, residents will be at high risk of not having a substantial source of drinking water.
It also states that the rates that are proposed are less costly than the national average that residents pay for their utilities for clean water.
Currently, the average household pays $45 per month for water (base fee and usage). The agenda states that the new average household monthly payment will be closer to $65.
The breakdown of the raised rates can be found on the water rate increase resolution attached to the agenda, which can be viewed at www.rawlinswy.gov.
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