GRANTSVILLE, Utah — Residents of Grantsville are facing possible steep increases in their monthly sewer bills as city officials work on plans to build a new water treatment facility.
The project is necessary to keep pace with Grantsville's population growth and to comply with new state regulations, city council member Derek Dalton explained.
“The state passed some new laws a few years ago that made our facility insufficient,” Dalton said. “We’ve needed a new facility; we’ve known about it since 2019. So the time has come now, and we’re trying to look at every option we can to keep the increases as low as we can.”
The proposed rate hikes would likely mean the average sewer bill would go up in the coming months.
“Forty dollars and some change to $53.60 with the new proposed increases in July this year, they will jump up to $80, so almost double since last year," Dalton said. "By July of 2027, they’ll have almost increased to $100."
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The sharp increase has drawn concern from residents who question the financial burden and the city's spending, some of whom did so at last week's city meeting.
“Before we talk about raising rates again, citizens need to understand the broader spending problems our city has,” said Kevin Kasey, who noted that the city’s total budget increased by 84% in five years, from $11.3 million to $20.8 million.
Dalton, who joined the council this year, acknowledged the financial strain the increases would cause.
“We’re trying to make things as easy as possible for our citizens," he said. "We know there are some on fixed income."
The city is holding an open house to discuss the proposed sewer rate increase on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Grantsville City Hall.
