Hopewell Borough is proposing increases to your water and sewer rates, to take effect in April of this year. The Fact Sheet linked below explains the proposed rate changes, why they are necessary, how they will affect you, and what we are doing to control your water and sewer costs.
As state-regulated, publicly-owned utilities, our Water and Sewer Departments are required to generate enough revenue each year to cover expenditures. After careful review of our finances, we determined that in 2024 we must raise an additional $220,000 for our water utility and $23,000 for our sewer utility to meet state mandated budget requirements. Depending on how much water you use, the proposed new rates would increase the cost of your water by between 22% and 55% and the cost of your sewer service by 9%.
Out of concern for our customers who are struggling to meet daily cost-of-living expenses, we propose to limit the rate increase for the minimum charge for customers using 0 to 2,000 gallons of water to $11 per quarter. However, for most households and businesses we serve, the overall rate increases will be much higher. We want to assure you that we have carefully considered every alternative before taking this step, and are doing whatever we can to keep your water and sewer services affordable.
We expect to take formal action on the proposed water and sewer rate increases at the next Borough Council Meeting at 7 pm on April 4th at Borough Hall. We encourage you to attend the meeting, ask questions, and share your views and concerns, particularly on how the proposed rate increases may affect you. We will also be discussing next steps in our long-term planning of the future of our water utility at this meeting, and at several upcoming meetings to be announced soon.
