HOPE – Hope residents can expect to see their next bill from Hope Utilities go up by about $1.
The increase will be considerably smaller than rate hikes that went into effect in 2016 – and again in 2019, town utilities superintendent David Clouse said.
Essentially, the increase consists of an annual surcharge that Hope is legally responsible to pay to Eastern Bartholomew County Water Corp., which supplies the water to the community of 2,200 residents.
The Hope Town Council voted to raise the average water and sewage bill temporarily from $28.13 to $45 a month in the first of a two-phase hike in 2015. It was the first rate hike implemented in the community in 11 years.
Council members did express concern about financial hardship to residents, particularly elderly residents on a fixed income.
Newly-released census data shows the per-capita income in Hope is $19,787, compared to $32,664 for Columbus. In addition, nearly 13% of the adults in Hope are 65 or older, with many on a fixed income.
For that reason, the town stopped adding the annual surcharge to the monthly utility bills in 2016, and paid the money due to Eastern Bartholomew that was required by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, Clouse said.
As one town council member said, it was a effort to “remove a bit of the sticker shock.”
Every year, the amount of the surcharge is tied to whatever the rate of the consumer price index is, Clouse said. As long as inflation was under control, the town could afford to pay the small surcharge, the utilities superintendent said.
“Well, the cost of goods went up 5.9%,” Clouse said. “So instead of going up just a few cents, inflation has raised the surcharge to 16 cents per 1,000 gallons of water.”
For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
