The Bremen Town Council will hold a public hearing Monday, May 22 to take public comments concerning proposed sewer rate increases.
Jeff Rowe from Baker Tilly said the increases are in anticipation of the funding of a $16.3 million Wastewater Treatment Facility project.
“We still don’t know whether we’ll be pursuing SRF or Rural Development, either way it’s going to require an increase and that will all depend on whether we get grant money – which we’re not counting on, but also the final terms of the loan and bids as well,” said Rowe.
He added that the increases will be infused in a two-phase process before introducing a final phase.
“The first phase, which we would anticipate to go into effect June 1 as it states in the ordinance, that would represent a 20 percent increase so that would be the first step. The phase two increase would reflect another 20 percent which I believe would be established in an effective date of January 1, 2024.”
While June 1 was written into the ordinance, Rowe noted that the first phase will be incorporated in the first billing cycle after the final adoption of the ordinance. The final phase will be determined once all of the funding is put into place as bonds close.
The council members did approve the first reading of the amended sewer rate ordinance. The public hearing is May 22 at 4:30 p.m. ET at Bremen Town Hall.
The new Wastewater Treatment Plant would include a new maintenance building, control, chemical feed and blower building, and a sludge storage structure. The project also includes a new effluent outlet to the Yellow River, and the reconstruction of the town’s interceptor sewer through the wetland area and the manufactured home park.
