ASOTIN — The city of Asotin is rolling back overage charges on water bills, after studying other communities around the region and state.
Mayor Dwayne Paris said residents have expressed concerns about water bills for some time, so the city staff did deep dive into the city’s rates.
“What we found was that our overage amount was out of alignment,” Paris said in an email to the Lewiston Tribune.
The council opted to reduce the cost from $2.25 per 100 cubic feet of excess water to $1.50 per month. The change will take effect this month.
City residents currently pay a base rate of $30.93 per month for 1,000 cubic feet of water, which amounts to roughly 750 gallons. A business-and-operation tax for the service is an additional 9 percent, officials said. When a customer uses more than the allotted amount, an overage charge is added to the bill.
Officials said Asotin has its own water supply, plus an emergency line from the Asotin County Public Utility District, located near the former Jetco business on the outskirts of town.
According to Paris, the city is also budgeting for a water rate survey to be completed in 2021.
In other Asotin business, Tim Ottmar was appointed to the city council, replacing Joe Appleton, who resigned earlier this year.
