Havre City Council approves water, sewer rate increases

Havre City Council members Monday night voted 7 to 0 to increase the monthly rates for municipal water and wastewater services.

Council member Terry Lilletvedt was excused from the meeting.

The council passed two resolutions: one to increase municipal water rates and the other to increase city wastewater service rates.

A public hearing about the rate increases took place before the council’s regular meeting.

Havre Clerk/Finance Director Doug Kaercher said the increases were proposed because money set aside in reserves for water and sewer projects has been depleted.

A public notice that advertised the hearing says that under the new rates, the average monthly residential water rate will increase $1.40 from $41.90 to $43.30. The proposed monthly service charge for residents within the city includes an increase in the monthly service charge from $32.90 to $34.50 and a water rate increase of 10 cents per 1,000 gallons. The rate for October to May was $2.25 and June to September was $2.10

Customers outside the city will see monthly water bills rise $2.12, from $44.08 to $46.20, the notice says. The service charge for out-of-city users will rise from $34.90 to $36.60. The water rate will increase by 11 cents per 1000 gallons. The rate for October to May was $2.29 and from June to September was $2.14

The notice says the average monthly residential sewer bill will increase from $40.45 to $42.30 per connection. For metered customers, the charge will rise from $3.35 to $3.50 per thousand gallons of average monthly water used in the winter months. Monthly service charges will increase from $17 to $17.80.

Yearly rural sewer charges will rise from $485.40 to $507.60 per connection, the notice says.

Scott Vasecka, a metered customer, spoke during the public hearing.

He said he does not think the rate increases are fair because he does not use the full 3,000 gallons for which he is charged each month, and said he is basically already paying the increased rate.

Kaercher said customers who have a meter that is a half-inch, five-eighths or three-quarters of an inch receive a minimum of 3,000 gallons a month included in the base rate that a customer pays. He added that customers with a meter do not get a credit back if they use less.

In other business, the council voted 7 to 0 to approve the manual claims and warrants for April.

Jen Archibald spoke during the public comment portion to see if the city had any land it could donate for a dog park.

Bill Lanier, who introduced Archibald at the meeting, said that about three years ago a Boy Scout looked at establishing a dog park in Havre for an Eagle Scout project.

Lanier said that after the Scout met with the council and Havre Parks and Recreation, he learned that establishing a park would entail a lot more bureaucracy than expected and decided not to go through with the project.

The last thing the city officials told the Scout was to come back when he found a location to establish the park, Lanier said.

Archibald has posted on the Facebook group Havre Questions, Comments and Concerns to gauge local interest in creating a dog park.

She said at the meeting that she started posting about the idea and that interest in the idea has been substantial.

Archibald has since formed a Havre Dog Park Club that would act as a governing body that would manage the park and money donated to it, she said. She said she is also in the process of making it a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so people can make tax deductible donations. She said that she knows people who are willing to donate time, materials and house fundraisers to manage a dog park.

Solomon said that First Bank Park has already been designated a dog park, but is not fenced in.

Solomon said the city worries about creating a dog park because if the Dog Park Club disbands the city will be stuck managing it.

He said that he thinks Archibald is going about the process the right way, but that she should talk with Havre Parks and Recreation Director Chris Inman.

Val Murri also spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, saying that he noticed that trash had been picked up that had been scattered on the south side of the hill along First Street West.

Murri said the absence of that garbage makes the drive into town a lot more appealing, and wanted to thank whoever picked up the trash,

Havre Public Works Deputy Director Jeff Jensen said the Public Works crew cleaned up the area along First Street West from the Great Northern Fairgrounds down to Fleet Wholesale. Crews also went east of Havre where they cleaned up garbage in the field that runs from Frontline Ag Solutions LLC east to the dump.

“Thanks for doing that,” Solomon said.

The next council meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, May 21, in Havre City Hall.