Water customers of the City of Newton will see an increase in their bills this month.
That is due to a $2.55 base water rate hike that took effect on Sunday that was a part of an updated water ordinance passed by the Newton Board of Aldermen last month.
City Clerk Charlene Evans said bills that were just sent out and are due by July 10 were billed at the old $11 water rate. The new rates will begin with the July bills that will be sent out later this month.
This was one of the changes to the city’s water ordinance. Another rate hike of $2.55 will take place on July 1, 2019, according to the ordinance.
The changes also included updating policies regarding disconnection of service. Those changes include the following:
• Any customer whose service has been discontinued may have his water service resumed by paying all water charges due, plus a charge of $35 for reconnection service. A charge of $30 shall be assessed to any delinquent customer whose water service has been reconnected without city authorization. For each subsequent unauthorized reconnection, there shall be a charge of $50.
• Anyone who knowingly makes or causes to be made, any connection to the water system, tampers with or in any way interferes with any equipment connected with the city water system shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, be fined between $25 and $300 for each such offense.
• A service charge of $5 for each trip water department employees make to any meter for the purposes of cutting water on or off will be assessed. No service charge shall be assessed for trips made by City Employees to repair or maintain meters.
• Customers who have had water service cut off and have not used any water for an entire billing cycle shall not be charged for that billing cycle, other than a capital improvement fee of $2.50 as provided in Section 12 of Ordinance No. A-185.
The ordinance passed 3-1 with Michael Hillie voting no.
