Ottawa City Council approves water, sewer rate hikes

Ottawa residents will be paying more in water and sewer rates effective Dec. 1, after the Ottawa City Council approved an increase to help defray the cost of the wastewater treatment plant now being planned for the east side of town.

According to Commissioner of Public Utilities Brent Barron, the base rate for water will go up to $10 per month, as will the base rate for sewer, with the water rate having the addition charge of $4.50 per cubic foot of water.

The current base rate for each is $9.60, while the rate per 100 cubic foot is $3.43.

For residents outside the city limits, who pay double those old rates, the increases will again double.

Barron said the increases will raise about $1.5 million, which will cover the city’s debt service for the new treatment plant, which still is in the design phase.

“We didn’t really have an option … but it’s forward-thinking. We’re already paying $118,000 a month for the engineering fees for the new plant, so have to raise the rates to cover the cost of the new plant.”

—  Brent Barron, Ottawa commissioner

The new plant, planned for a seven-acre plot between Route 71 and the Fox River near where U.S. 6 breaks off toward Marseilles, will be in planning phase for roughly two years. The plans then will go to the Environmental Protection Agency for approval and that, plus the determination of contractors, puts the groundbreaking for the facility into late 2025 or early 2026.

The new plant initially will handle around one million gallons of waste water per single day, with the potential expansion of up to four million gallons per day. That, Barron said, should be adequate to handle any civic growth for at least the next 25 to 30 years.

The total cost of the plant is expected to be near $29 million, with grants and EPA forgiveness taking that figure to close to an estimated $25 million.

The figure is a far cry than the estimated $75 million for any upgrade and/or renovation to the outdated existing wastewater treatment plan, which is operating near capacity at four million gallons a day.

“We didn’t really have an option … but it’s forward-thinking,” Barron said. “We’re already paying $118,000 a month for the engineering fees for the new plant, so have to raise the rates to cover the cost of the new plant.”

The council also approved to enter into a professional services agreement with Ginkgo Planning and Design for the development of a plan for the riverfront and the proposed amphitheater to be constructed there.

“This is Phase 1 of fine tuning the riverfront development plan, basically for all the green around the amphitheater, from the Jordan block all the way down to the front door of the YMCA,” Hasty said. “In order to develop the amphitheater, they need to know where it’s going to be, what’s it’s going to sit in, what’s going to be around it. We’ve had multiple different plans, so this effort will look at all those different plans and work with the citizens and the council to shore up a final plan, so they can develop that amphitheater for us.

“The good news is that bid came in significantly less than what we had budgeted for. That’s something you don’t see often and it was nice to see now.”

The council also approved a lease agreement with the Carson Building Ottawa LLC for a pop-up market, providing space for artists to market their artwork during two of the four weekends of the Chris Kringle Market from Nov. 24 to Dec. 17.

“Our arts committee is putting up this pop-up market as its way of getting out of the gate as a new committee,” Hasty said, “They are inviting local artists to show their wares and sell what they have to offer. They met with the Chris Kringle Market organizer Stephanie Stacy and they all left excited about working together. It will be a good step for (the committee).”

In other action, the council:

Heard from Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, on the Jordan Block, the city will conduct its Festival of Lights Parade, fireworks and the lighting of the city Christmas tree.

Approved employment agreement with Ottawa Fire Chief Brian Bressner and Assistant Chief Michael Mills.

Approved an employment with Aaron Jeras to serve as a part-time electrical inspector.