(Wahpeton)– The Wahpeton City Council is a step closer to deciding on how to fund the construction of a new water treatment plant.
Council members met Monday evening with the city’s financial consultant to look at possible options. They settled on one that would include a water rate increase combined with general obligation bonds that will impact property taxes. A larger percentage of the water rate increase, a 200 percent hike, would be placed on customers outside of city limits. Some new base water accounts would also be established to generate additional revenue. Those would include individual sites and buildings at camping facilities. Those numbers will be subject to review in another year or so to ensure they’re generating the needed revenue to cover the roughly 12.5 million dollar water plant project. The city’s financial consultant cautions the final rates and bond numbers may need to be adjusted further in the event the final cost of the project comes in higher. Council member Holly Mead spoke in favor of the combined sources of funding…
The council Monday evening directed city staff to incorporate the new rates and bond information in an ordinance to be considered at their meeting in March.
