`DuBOIS — The new City of DuBois sewage treatment plant is fully operational and began processing all flow Wednesday. If the City Council passes a pending vote April 15, water and sewer rate reforms will drop costs by $5 per 1,000 gallons.
Interim Co-manager Ben Kafferlin said ordinances designed to resolve complaints surrounding the city’s billing system are ready for a vote at the next council meeting. That meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 15 at the DuBois municipal building.
One major change involves reverting the minimum fee system. Previously, Sandy Township charged a set minimum fee regardless of how little water a household used. While the City of DuBois used an averaging system to bill for specific gallon usage, the consolidated “New City of DuBois” initially adopted the Sandy Township model.
The city now plans to switch to a pure metering system without rounding. Under this structure, the $16 per 1,000-gallon rate for water remains. However, billing will reflect exact usage: a household using 1,000 gallons will pay $16, while a household using 500 gallons will pay $8.
Officials are also streamlining the pricing tiers. Previously, water and sewer services used different usage thresholds to trigger lower rates. The new structure aligns both utilities under the same pricing tier system.
By implementing these changes, city staff found a way to lower the sewer debt reduction fee from $20 to $15 per 1,000 gallons for most customers. New fees based on meter size make this reduction possible; customers with larger meters will pay higher costs. Kafferlin noted that some residential customers might not see an immediate rate drop until technicians replace or recalibrate their meters.
“I’m sorry that we aren’t able to lower the water more. That’s as tight as the budget can be,” Kafferlin said.
The city also encourages eligible residents to apply for senior citizen utility rates. To qualify, residents must be older than 65 and live in a household where no one works full time.
