Aldermen Vote to Raise Sewer & Water Rates Without Really Bothering to Notify Residents Ahead of Time
Willard’s two new alderwomen vote ‘nay’ on raising water rates.
A clarification: Though two public hearings were held at the December 11 meeting, the votes that occurred after the public hearings were not votes on ordinances that would raise rates. Rather, the votes were for the purpose of deciding whether to write ordinances that would raise rates and go into effect January 1, 2024. Those ordinances would require another vote before taking effect.
At their December 11 meeting, the Board voted for a sewer and water rate increase of 10% across the board that will go into effect January 1, 2024, with more increases likely to occur after an early-2024 rate study.
A public hearing was held. Surprisingly, no one showed up to speak on the issue**. Which itself is really no surprise after having a look at my family’s most recent Willard utility bill and after examining the city website.
Of course no one planned to speak—because they didn’t really tell anyone about it.
The only public “notification” seems to be the words “Sewer rate increase” and “Water rate increase” that were included on the tentative agenda for the December 11 meeting. And there was no mention on that tentative agenda of how much the increase would be, nor any mention of when it would take effect. Additionally, no mention is made on the agenda of any new ordinances that would modify Willard’s current sewer and water rate ordinances:
On the sewer rate increase, all the aldermen and alderwomen voted “yea.”
On the water rate increase, Aldermen Scott Swatosh, Troy Smith, Landon Hall, and David Keene voted “yea.” Alderwomen Casey Biellier and Joyce Lancaster voted “nay.”
**Note: Two citizens who were at the meeting for unrelated reasons, after witnessing no public input during the sewer rate hearing, did decide to speak during the water rate hearing.
Willard vs. other municipalities
Strafford recently raised rates and plans to implement additional stepped increases over the next several years. However, unlike the City of Willard, Strafford sent residents a colorful notice of the intent to raise rates along with an explanation of why it was necessary. They also posted a notice of the proposed increases on their city website. Willard? Not that I can find.
If you visit the “Public Hearings” page of the City of Willard’s website here or the “Public Notices” page here, you’ll find no mention of a hearing or the intent to raise rates.
In the first photo below, Parkville, Missouri, is currently notifying their citizens of an upcoming public hearing for a proposed sewer rate increase, whereas Willard’s public hearings page is completely blank.
Now, if the City of Willard had an official Facebook page—an action item that was strongly recommended in Willard’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan—they could have at least notified citizens through an easily accessible forum that many frequently visit. But the City doesn’t have an official Facebook page. Well, technically they do. But it, too, is blank.
Now, I know enough about the City’s finances to understand that sewer and water rate increases are necessary (but I won’t go into that here). But wouldn’t it be nice to know about the increases ahead of time to have the opportunity to be heard on the issue? Or to at least plan for it? Particularly if you’re a business owner or someone on a limited budget?
I think so.