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The Fort Oglethorpe City Council meeting Sept. 12 featured the first reading of a proposed sewer rate increase.
The city has been faced with imposing an increase since the first of July, when Chattanooga raised the rates to dispose of waste at Moccasin Bend sewer treatment facility, according to city officials.
The rate is expected to increase 10-12 cents per 1000 gallons that is used by the consumer, according to Fort Oglethorpe City Manager Jim Dinley.
“The rate has not been set in stone, but we had to get the process started,” Dinley said.
In December Fort Oglethorpe City Council also approved a sewer rate increase. After that vote sewer rates went from $6.20 per 2000 gallons to $8.30 per 2000 gallons.
Commercial rates for sewer rose to $11.45 per 2000 gallons.
Officials cited higher costs passed down from Chattanooga for that increase as well.
Those rates have been in effect since January 2005.
Fort Oglethorpe leaders met with Chattanooga and Moccasin Bend sewer plant officials in August.
“The City Of Chattanooga and Moccasin Basin raised the rates to .0698 cents per thousand gallons of wastewater we send them,” Dinley said. “We will be about four months behind this rate, although we have been paying it effective the first of July.
“To equalize that (increase) out, we will adjust those four months into the next eight months payments,” he said.
Both Dinley and Mayor Judd Burkhart said the increase is necessary.
“We are not increasing anything above what they (Chattanooga) have passed to us,” Burkhart said.
The council will likely vote on the proposed sewer rate increase in October.
In other business Sept. 12, at Fort Oglethorpe City Hall…
* Fort Oglethorpe Fire Chief Bruce Ballew said three members of Fort Oglethorpe Fire & Rescue — Deputy Chief Merv McDonald, Lieutenant Robbie Tester, and fire fighter Jeff Pursley — are in New Orleans helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
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