The Board of Alderman of Grand Cane met this week and approved an increase in sewage rates for the town. They also voted to start the process for a sales tax increase. Many residents attended the meeting filling almost all of the chairs in the town hall.
On Tuesday Mayor Marsha Richardson lead off the discussion of sewer rates. She said, “They have to go up. The rate has been discussed at recent meetings and we are now about $30,000 a year behind.”
The Mayor explained that the proposal is that the base rate for sewer service be increased as well as the usage rate. Currently Grand Cane sewer customers pay $30 per month for service. Due to increased costs and deterioration in the sewer system that needs to be fixed, the discussion centered around a $20 per month increase. The Board settled on increasing the base rate to $55 a month.
The other charge is for usage. Currently customers pay $1.75 per 1,000 gallons of water used. The Board voted to increase the usage to $2.00 per 1,000 gallons.
Coupled with the discussion of increasing sewer rates, the Aldermen talked about beginning the process for a one-fourth-cent sales tax for sales within the town limits. The Board voted to begin the process of increasing the sales tax. Progress will be reported at later meetings.
