Oelwein residents blindsided by increased water & sewage utility rates - kwwl.com

Oelwein residents blindsided by increased water & sewage utility rates | News | kwwl.com
A few residents in Oelwein are frustrated at the increase to their water bills following the city council's decision to increase water and sewer rates in May.

OELWEIN, Iowa (KWWL) -- A few residents in Oelwein are frustrated at the increase to their water bills following the city council's decision to increase water and sewer rates in May.

This money is intended to be used to help improve the city's infrastructure. However, residents are asking the city council to rethink their decision on the rate increase, with some saying that they simply can't afford it.

The City of Oelwein said that this increase of utility rates will save the city $3.4 million of interest if they had borrowed the money. The money will go toward a 10-year project including water, sewage and street repairs.

Some residents tell KWWL that their July bills jumped 30%, and claimed that the city did not give them a proper notice of the increase.

Carrie Forbes is a stay-at-home mom in Oelwein with 3 toddlers and only one source of income.

Forbes said, "Our community as a whole can't afford it but it's just, it's just plain and simple. Something's gotta give and right now it looks like we're being told well that's for us to deal with in our own budgets and and whatever and that's not really helping the people that they representing."

Forbes added, "It was like a 10 day notice that we got between when they told us, and when our bills came in the mail."

A city administrator says that there are a few options to help the city moving forward.

City Administrator Dylan Mulfinger told KWWL, "I've tried to look at different programs that can have an impact on the level of poverty and help people out. It's a lot harder than whine. We have extremely limited resources to our small size and our low incomes and low median household value, and so we're just working to try and find a solution and this is an aggressive way to do it. There is no - there's no future of not fixing what we have."

The 30% increase in rates only apply to the water and sewage - and are based on usage.

The City of Oelwein is not a part of the Iowa Utilities Board, as the wells and wastewater plant are operated by the city administrator and utility decisions are voted on by the city council.

The city council's plan increases the sewage and water bills over tome, with the first increase of 30%. It will continue to climb each year.

Mulfinger said, "We need to make sure citizens have water 24/7, and their wastewater is collected 24/7, and in order to do that we need to be more aggressive with the projects we're doing right now."

Multiple public comments were made at Monday's city council meeting, with some residents asking why there was nothing sent in the mail about the increase prior to receiving the bills.

Mulfinger said, "The price of mailers and some of those we felt that majority of those that we've sent out in the past haven't been effective, so we didn't anticipate much effectiveness of this."

Residents claim that the city had the information on the city council's agenda and discussed the matter at meetings with no other notification to residents.

Forbes said, "The feeling that I got from the meeting last night was very much shame on you for getting involved after the fact versus being proactive."

The city plans to use the money from the rate increase for infrastructure for the water, sewage and street repairs over the next 10 years.

Resident Albert Caseymeyer said, "They were more focused on the outcomes of this financially rather than the impact of it."

Caseymeyer said his most recent bill for the months of June and July was $254.

He added, "Do you want to cause action and reaction that's with people's money and this is the result of that."

Residents are asking the council to reconsider their vote for increasing the utility rates, and some say they have plans for a potential lawsuit in response.

Caseyemeyer also said, "Basically, the ball's in their court now. Okay, so they can decide to take no action, continue or they or they can call special session and reevaluate it."