City To Raise Water And Sewer Rates.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, city manager John Bennett announced that the city of Rome will likely have to raise sewer and water rates due to falling demand.

Bennett says the closing of high volume users such as Greenwood mills and Galey and Lord several years ago in addition to the recent closure of Mohawk’s dying operation in Floyd County has significantly reduced the amount of water sold.

Although slight, the increase could amount to as much as $5.00 per month for a large family.

The base charge for water and sewer will increase from $3.40 to $3.90 giving each customer a $1.00 per month increase in the base charge. The volume charge for water will increase from $1.91 to $2.02, a 6% increase. The wastewater charge increases from $2.64 to $3.04, a 15% increase.

Bennett says they do not anticipate another significant increase in the next 3 to 5 years. He added, on the plus side, our rates are still lower than many areas of comparable size such as Roswell and Marietta.

The issue now goes before the Full City Commission for review.