Council backs rate increase for sewer, water

The Havre City Council on Monday unanimously voted to move forward with the process to raise water and sewer rates by an average of $4.30 per month.

The rate increases are tentatively scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1. By law, before an increase can go into effect, the city must hold a public hearing, notify all ratepayers by mail, and the council must vote a final time on the increase, City Clerk Lowell Swenson said today.

City Council member Dana West, who chairs the council's Water and Sewer Committee, told the council before the vote that the increase would allow the city to apply for a $...