At the July 23 Fairhope Council meeting, a majority of the council voted to again table the proposed utility rate increases.
Councilman Robert Brown said a possible rate hike is not something he felt comfortable pushing through without a thorough discussion.
“Raising utility rates is something I don’t take lightly,” Brown said. “I still don’t have the information I need to consider raising the rates … I haven’t been convinced it’s a total need for this city.”
Mayor Karin Wilson said possible rate increases were first proposed back in Sept. 2017.
“These rates have not been increased in eight years minimum, if not longer,” Wilson said.
Brown said he and other council members had found ways to possibly pay for needed infrastructure upgrades without a rate increase, but Wilson said the rates still needed to be addressed regardless.
“We still need to look at the rates even if you have funding for that based on infrastructure needs,” Wilson said. “We have a lot that has to be updated.”
Council President Jack Burrell said most of the increases were minimal at best.
“Some of these were about $3 maximum,” Burrell said. “They were all pretty small. These have not been adjusted since at least 2010. We’re going to be behind the eight ball if we don’t do some catching up.”
The council voted 4-1 to table the proposed rate increases, with Burrell voting nay.
