Mail Tribune News - Medford raises sewer rates

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Medford raises sewer rates The Medford City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to increase the sewer rate for single-family homes by 27 cents per month. The increase will begin in March. Multifamily housing, businesses and other buildings will pay a higher rate. The sewer rate increase is expected to raise about $110,000 a year for the city. The money is to pay for new and replacement lines in a sewer system that is more than 100 years old in places. Medford Public Works Director Don Walker said the city has a master plan for sewer lines throughout its urban-growth boundary. But he said the city has no source of money to pay for new lines as the city expands or for replacing cracked and broken older lines. Within the next several months, the City Council is also expected to consider adding a systems development charge for sewer lines for new construction, Walker said. The city is seeing the most problems with older lines in the downtown. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA