Cleveland Utilities' budget includes water, sewer rate increase

CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The proposed Cleveland Utilities budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 includes a five percent rate increase each for water and sewer service.

The draft budget document was handed out Thursday to the board's members.

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Finance Manager Ken Webb said the rate increase was announced last year. The new budget, which must be approved by the Utility Board and then the Cleveland City Council, is a conservative one, Webb said, based on revenues and consumption in the current budget.

The increases will fund major water and sewer infrastructure projects to meet future industrial and commercial growth, General Manager Bill Wheeler said.

He compared new projects to the expansion of the Hiwassee Utility District water plant several years ago before GE's lighting warehouse, Wacker Chemical and Amazon located in north Bradley County.

"Without that previous infrastructure in place, these things would never have happened," Wheeler said.

For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.

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