GREENFIELD — In response to drastic sewer and water rate hikes this year, the Greenfield City Council decided rate increases over certain amounts would need approval from the council.
The council approved amendments to ordinances governing sewer and water rates Wednesday, which applied to two separate ordinances, require a majority council vote for any sewer or water rate increase over 10 percent. A two-thirds council vote for any sewer or water rate increase over 15 percent will be required and nine-tenths of the council would have to OK any increase over 25 percent,
The amendments were proposed by Councilors Brickett Allis and Isaac Mass.
According to Mass, the amendments were in response to the water and sewer rates being increased by 10 and 15 percent in February, in spite of Director of Publi Works Donald Ouellette previously saying rates wouldn’t increase that much. According to Allis previously, Ouellette said the rates would not increase by more than 5 percent.
Ouellette defended the increases when they came out, noting that Greenfield’s rates hadn’t increased in seven years, even though costs have. He said in a Feb. 19 Recorder article that reserve funds had kept the prices lower for taxpayers but to maintain the price, preventative measures would have to be cut back.
Councilor Ashli Stempel, who was against the amendments, felt the changes were attempts at micromanaging the sewer and water systems after miscommunications over rate increases caused the issue in the first place.
“That’s a communication thing, that doesn’t mean we now have the right to micromanage it,” she said.
The amendments initially requested thresholds for each measure be significantly lower, with City Council approval at 2.5 percent, two-thirds approval at 5 percent, nine-tenths of council approve an increase over 7.5 percent. Voters would also have been asked to approve any increase over 10 percent.
Councilor Sheila Gilmour felt these numbers were too restrictive, especially when 2.5 percent could be lower than the cost of inflation. Councilors reached a conclusion to remove the reference to voters, as well as increase the thresholds for both amendments.
The council approved the sewer rate amendment with eight votes in favor and three against. The water rate amendment passed with eight votes in favor and two against. One councilor that was present for the sewer rate vote was absent for the subsequent water rate vote.