Council Approves New Sewer Rates
On Monday, April 13, 2009, the City-County Council passed an ordinance to increase sanitary sewer rates by 10.75 percent annually from 2009 through 2013. The rate increase will fund the city’s Clean Streams-Healthy Neighborhoods program and will go into effect May 1, 2009.
Upon taking office, Mayor Ballard challenged DPW to re-evaluate the city’s 20-year plan to select the most effective and fiscally responsible design and construction methods. As a result of these efforts, as well as innovative financing techniques, the city drove down the amount of the annual sewer rate increase to nearly one-half of what it could have been — from approximately 20 percent annually as originally anticipated to the 10.75 percent approved by the council.
The majority of the annual increases will help fund the federally-mandated $1.7 billion Long-Term Control Plan to reduce raw sewage overflows. Sewer rates also help fund a $1.8 billion capital program through 2025 to rehabilitate aging sanitary sewers, increase sewer and wastewater treatment plant capacity and bring sewers to thousands of homes in neighborhoods currently on septic systems.
Prior to submitting the rate increase proposal to the City-County Council, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works gathered input on potential sewer rate increases through a series of community meetings, as well as from the local business community, environmental experts and business advocacy groups.
Stormwater rates will not increase in 2009; however, projects to reduce drainage and flooding problems will continue.
For questions about the sewer rate increase proposal, review answers to 2009-2013 Sewer Rates Frequently Asked Questions.
To see projects planned for 2009 through 2013 throughout Indianapolis, a project list and project maps are available.
Learn more about Indianapolis’ Raw Sewage Overflow Long-Term Control Plan.