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Bemrich proposes water bill help for some Fort Dodge residents

‘I think there’s an opportunity for the city to tell the citizens, our customers, that they are important to us’

Fort Dodge residents who suddenly find they can’t pay their water bill because they got sick or lost their job may be able to get some help from their city government in the future.

Mayor Matt Bemrich on Monday proposed creating a revolving fund within the city’s water budget to help those residents.

“I think there’s an opportunity for the city to tell the citizens, our customers, that they are important to us,” he said.

Bemrich made the proposal during Monday evening’s council meeting at which the elected officials got their first look at the proposed $9.1 million budget for the water system for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

The mayor said his proposal would be tailored to those who have trouble paying their water bill because of illness, a death in the family or unemployment. He said an internal loan within the water budget would be used to pay those residents’ bills. The residents would then have to pay back that money.

The City Council members indicated that they were in favor of the plan, and City Manager David Fierke was directed to find a way to implement it. The proposal will eventually be brought before the council again for approval.

The city’s next fiscal year begins July 1, but the elected officials are working on the budget already because state law requires cities to have their budgets completed by mid-March.

“These won’t be the final numbers you’ll approve in March, but they’ll be very close,” Jeff Nemmers, the city clerk and finance director, told the council.

The proposed budget for the water system in 2018-2019 is $9,130,954.

The current water budget is $9,139,596.

There will be a 2 percent increase in water rates effective Jan. 1, 2018, and another 2 percent increase of Jan. 1, 2019.

Additionally, city water bills will go up by $3.50 a month on Jan. 1 to help pay for the installation of a reverse osmosis system at the John W. Pray Water Facility that will reduce the amount of salt residents use to soften the water. The system is being installed to meet a state mandate to reduce the amount of chloride in wastewater discharged into the Des Moines River.

Nemmers said he expects $12 million will be spent on the project in the next fiscal year.

The proposed budget for operating the sanitary sewer system in 2018-2019 is $10,185,803.

The current sanitary sewer budget is $10,090,313.

As in the water system budget, there will be 2 percent increase in rates on Jan. 1, 2018, and Jan. 1, 2019.

The proposed budget envisions spending $3,045,086 from the road use tax fund in 2018-2019. The road use tax fund is the city’s share of gasoline tax revenue and vehicle registration fees. It pays for street maintenance and snow removal.

The water, sewer and road use tax fund account will be used to pay for two new wheel-loaders and a backhoe.

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