The Benton Courier

Benton Council to vote on utility rates

By Destin Davis ddavis@bentoncourier.com

The Benton City Council is scheduled to have their regular monthly meeting Monday night with an agenda meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by the full council meeting.

The council is expected to vote on an ordinance that would raise utility rates for Benton Utilities customers.

In March, the Community Services and Animal Control Committee passed the ordinance, so now it will go to Benton City Council for a final vote. The first

reading of the ordinance was at the March council meeting; the second was at the April council meeting and now council members are scheduled to vote a final time for the ordinance.

General Manager of Benton Utilities David Vondran brought the proposals to the council.

According to Vondran, currently, the money required for water and wastewater portion of Benton Utilities is being subsidized through electricity payments. The goal is raising the rates to make water and wastewater selfsustainable.

Vondran said this change would require an increase of $48 per month, per customer. If the ordinance is approved by the council, it will be implemented through a phased-in approach with three separate increases of $16.

If approved, it would go into effect in June, with the new rates becoming effective on July 1.

Vondran said at a public hearing on April 13, that the expected increase for a minimum quantity of water users will go from a base of $11.10 to $15.00 and that the minimum bill for wastewater would go from $12.37 to $20.37.

Other items on the agenda include:

•An ordinance waiving competitive bidding; approving the purchase of Graykey, a forensic access

tool.

•A resolution amending the 2022 budget to increase the expenditure on police federal drug control fund for the purchase of Graykey.

•A resolution declaring certain property as surplus; authorizing the sale of the surplus property at auction.

•A resolution declaring certain property as surplus and authorizing the donation of the surplus property to the Boys and Girls Club of Saline County.

•An ordinance amending, revising and restating the Benton subdivision

regulations.

•A resolution authorizing the acquisition of certain real property from Bradley Newcomb.

•An ordinance adopting revised rules and regulations for the City of Benton Fire Department.

•A resolution acknowledging the Benton Advertising and Promotion Commission’s purchase of certain real property.

The meeting is open to the public and attendance is encouraged. It will also be live-streamed from the city’s official Facebook page.

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