The Village of Natchez held a special called meeting on Dec. 19 at the new village hall with one agenda item, the introduction of Ordinance 012-2024. The proposed ordinance would, depending on the specific increase voted upon by the aldermen, nearly double or double, the sewer rates paid by village residents. The present rates are $20/month for residential and $28/month for commercial. If approved, this would be the first rate increase in 35 years.
Natchez Mayor Patsy Ward-Hoover went into detail as to the background behind the need for a rate increase. There are several contributing factors. There are around $30,000 worth of unpaid bills residents have accrued over the past few years. That is only counting residents whose unpaid water and sewer bills are over $100. Of the approximately 200 village residents/customers, only about 160 are paying their bill. That situation is not fair to those who pay and places a serious strain on the sewer system’s finances as well. There is also the continuing problem of illegal tie-ins to existing sewer hookups, further straining the system’s resources. There is, at present, no enforcement mechanism for non-payment of water and sewer bills as an ordinance to allow the village to cut off water for non-payment was defeated in 2022. Mayor Hoover plans to retry the ordinance to allow for cutoff for non-payment in January. Hoover also stated that every commercial sewer & water account is currently not in arrears.
Another factor is the precarious balance of the village’s sewerage account, currently around $3,200. This is the account that is used to deal with maintenance and repairs of the system. It is far short of the $25-$30,000. it would hold were the residents’ water and sewer bills to have been paid properly. The sewerage account will be where the funds from the increase will be deposited.
Mayor Hoover stated that should the rate increase fail; the sewerage account will not be large enough to enable the system to be maintained. This would also have the effect of causing the village to lose what grants it has been able to obtain and not get any further ones. This inability would also extend to grants not related to water and sewage. The effect on the village would be catastrophic.
Members of the standing room only audience asked several questions as to the amount of the rase ($17.50 to $20 per month depending on amount voted) and where the money would go to (the sewerage account). Ordinance 012-2024 was unanimously passed 3-0. The final vote will be held at the village hall Jan. 2.
