HARRISBURG, N.C. — Harrisburg residents can expect to pay more for water and sewer services starting this month.
Officials said the fees are increasing so that the town can improve the infrastructure by expanding water and sewage outside the town limits and upgrade the storm water drainage systems.
Customers who live in the town limits will see rates increase 11 percent, while people outside town will see a 35 percent increase.
The residents outside the town have a greater fee increase in order to pay for a $10 million system expansion upgrade and improvements to the aging infrastructure in that area.
Storm water fees will increase by 98 cents.
The fee to reconnect water service will go up from $75 to $100.
The town said the fees have not been increased since 2010 and that the municipalities that sell water to Harrisburg have increased their rates. The total number of customers have also doubled.
Read below for more information from the town of Harrisburg:
Water and sewer rates will increase 11 percent for customers within town limits, over 80 percent of the town's nearly 8,000 customers and 35 percent for customers outside town limits. As incentive to customers conserving water resources, there will be no fee increase for customers using 0-2,000 gallons of water monthly. The flat sewer rate for customers outside town limits will also increase by 35 percent from $38.68 to $52.22.
The storm water fee will increase $0.98 from a monthly fee of $4.64 per equivalent residential unit (ERU) to $5.62 per ERU. The storm water fee increase is required to fund $2 million in storm water drainage improvements in older residential neighborhoods in the vicinity of Hwy. 49 and Roberta Rd. Constructed prior to the existence of current storm water management guidelines, these neighborhoods require upgrades in pipes, connections and grading to improve water flow and eliminate flooding issues.
The reconnect fee to reconnect water service following disconnection will increase from $75 to $100 per reconnection. Due to the high volume of monthly reconnects (80-100 per month with an average of 50 percent repeat orders), the town is currently dedicating a significant number of Customer Service and Public Works staff to service disconnects and reconnects each month. The increase in reconnect fee is designed to encourage customers to use online and bank draft payment options to pay bills on time.
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