Ashland water and sewer customers have started to see an increase in their monthly bills thanks to a ballot issue passed in 2014.
The ballot issue asked voters if the city could issue $7 million in bonds for a new mechanical sewage facility. The city currently uses a lagoon for sewage.
Acting city administrator Lyn Woolford said the city needs the upgrades to keep up-to-date with Missouri Department of Natural Resources regulations.
“We’re currently running on a permit that allows us to continue to operate because we are taking steps to eliminating the lagoon,” Woolford said.
Woolford said getting up to DNR requirements will save customers’ funds from going towards fines and other fees. Ashland mayor Gene Rhorer said that no other city money will go into the project.
“User rates pay for bond issues on waste water, not taxes.” Rhorer said.
He said the rate increase is being installed in phases, with the first base rate increase of five dollars a month recently going in place. The new sewage facility will not be built all at once.
“It will be built in phases as the city grows, as the population increases,” Woolford said. “So it’s a phased project with the intention of at least getting the first phase completed as soon as we can.”
Rhorer estimated the first phase of the project will serve between 7 and 10 thousand residents. The completed project will consist of four phases.
Woolford said the city will start taking bids for the new sewage facility early in 2016. He said if everything goes as planned, the projected completion of the first phase of the new facility would be late in 2017.