By DAVE SCHULTZ
New sewer rates will be going into effect soon for Bluffton city residents.
Eric Walsh of the BakerTilly municipal financial service firm said the average customer — so designated because they use 4,000 gallons of water a month — will have their rates go up from an average of $27.15 to $37.05.
No specific timetable was given for the rates to go into effect, but it should be soon. Walsh said that upon the council’s approval of the new rates, the State Revolving Fund was poised to loan the city $14.7 million for the first phase of system improvements. The closing with the SRF is scheduled for March 9 and the closing on the municipal bonds for actually fund the work is scheduled for March 17.
The loan from the SRF is a 35-year loan at 2.5 percent interest.
Bluffton’s standard sewage rate, compared to other nearby cities, has been the lowest at $27.16. The new rate will be just under the state average for cities of populations between 6100 and 10,000 people as of May 2019.
daves@news-banner.com
