Monterey Mulls Rate Increase For Commercial Customers

Water and sewer rates might be going up for large commercial customers in Monterey.

City officials have recommended the increase as a way to pay for a new wastewater treatment plant.

Consulting Engineer Nathaniel Green explained earlier this month that Perdue Farms has declined to enter into a long-term contract that would lock in the company’s rates for five years.

“I don’t know if they took this part away from it or not, but those rates that we had looked at are the rates if we had gotten an agreement,” Green said. “I don’t know if they really understand that there will be other discussions about rates that could potentially be higher.”

Green presented possible rate options to water and sewer committee members earlier this year. One option would raise rates for commercial customers and the other for inside city customers.

Water and Sewer Department Supervisor Duane Jarrett has previously said he’s against raising residential rates.

“The last round we up 42-percent on the townspeople,” said Jarrett during this month’s committee meeting. “We’re going to do this round on the industrial users.”

Monterey expects to have the multi-million dollar treatment plant online within the next two years.

Green said he plans to present new rate figures to the board of mayor and aldermen in the near future.