Topeka City Council vote on proposed water rate increase pushed back

TOPEKA (KSNT) - City Counselors have a new date for the vote on the proposed water bill increase.

The vote was originally scheduled for Jan. 10, but at Tuesday's city council meeting, they pushed it back to March. The City of Topeka had proposed to raise residents' water bills by nearly 10%, and the bills would increase each year through 2026.

City council members continued that discussion with members of the community weighing in. Some residents were frustrated, saying they feel the burden being placed on them.

"You want to attract more people to the community," Topeka resident Henry McClure said. "If we're not attracting more people to the community, economic development isn't working because the more people you have needing and paying for water, that 10% comes down."

Others have been in support of the increased rate.

"My biggest thing is we cannot push the replacement of water lines to the future," Councilman Brett Kell said back in December. "We need to keep on replacing those or else we're going to get a lot of water main breaks."

The operating costs for water are expected to increase by as much as 30% in the coming years.

Another public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 4 in the Holiday Building. Council members say they encourage community feedback throughout this process.