LV City Council prepares for sewer rate, connections increases

Sito Negron

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2003 | 9:19 a.m.

With very little discussion, Las Vegas City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance that would raise sewer rates and connection fees to offset the cost of construction over the last 10 years, and to prepare for improvements to the system planned for the future.

The next step is to introduce an ordinance at the Oct. 15 meeting, with final approval in early November. Customers would see the first increase in December.

According to information provided by the city, its sewer and connection fees are among the lowest in the valley, and would remain so even after the increase. North Las Vegas already has passed an ordinance to increase its rates for three consecutive years.

The connection fees in Las Vegas would go up from the current $1,200 per home to $1,680 over two years, according to information provided by the city. The sewer fees would go up from an average of $138.80 a year to $204.04 a year over two years, also followed by annual CPI-based increases. However, in addition to the sewer fee increase, the proposal calls for a surcharge of 5 percent a year on municipal ratepayers.

While sewer and connection fees are dedicated to the operation, maintenance and expansion of the waste water systems that serve Las Vegas residents, the added 5 percent annual charge would be used to offset the general cost of running the city.

In other action Wednesday, the council:

In another security matter, the city has not yet started using the metal detector at council chambers. It may be ready for a test run at the next meeting, Oct. 15, officials said.