(Arnolds Park)– Arnolds Park residents will see increases in sewer and garbage rates in the near future.
The city council Wednesday approved the increases as recommended by the city’s Finance Committee.
For the first time, the city will be charging a surcharge of one dollar per household per month and 25 cents per thousand gallons of water used on top of the rates charged by the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary Sewer District. City Administrator Ron Walker estimates the increase will raise an additional 30-thousand dollars in revenue annually for the city’s sewer fund.
Residential garbage rates in Arnolds Park will increase from five to seven dollars a month with the commercial rate going from five dollars a yard to six dollars a yard. Under the current rates, Walker says the General Fund was subsidizing the garbage fund because not enough revenue was coming into that account.
The new rates go into effect July 1st.
In other business, the Arnolds Park city council approved an optional water disconnect fee in the amount of 250-dollars to be collected at the time of discontinuance. Existing code allowed for only a reconnection charge. The optional disconnect fee is intended for temporary disconnects.
The council approved a proposal to increase the fee charged for copies of police accident and incident reports from four dollars to ten dollars; and they adopted an ordinance amending the starting times of regular city council meetings to 6:00 p.m. effective with the next meeting.
The Arnolds Park city council also set June 6th as the date for the city’s annual clean-up day; and they decided NOT to contribute 600-dollars to the Okoboji Little League, citing improvements to the baseball field that were financed by the city. A motion by councilman Mike Koppert for the city to contribute the 600-dollars anyway failed for lack of a second.
