OSWEGO -- It wasn't something common councilors wanted to do, but they say there really wasn't a choice.
The Oswego Common Council voted 4-2 to increase sewage fees in the city by 50 percent.
The rate increase stems from a consent decree the city signed earlier this summer. The decree is a court order and is enforced by the EPA. It says the Oswego water treatment facility must be self-sufficient by 2012. Self-sufficient meaning the facility must take in as much money as it costs to operate.
It's all in an effort to reduce the amount of waste water being pumped into the Oswego River and Lake Ontario.
One city alderman who voted for the rate hike says the issue of sewage treatment in Oswego was ignored for too long.
"This is a rude awakening, a rude awakening of conservation and economics," 7th Ward Alderman Ron Kaplewicz says. "We've been told for years to do things differently in this city and we didn't."
For the average Oswego resident paying a flat rate sewage bill, the rate hikes mean nearly $40 a quarter more than before. One common councilor also says residents should expect one more rate increase, though most likely not as high as 50 percent.
Mayor Randy Bateman says the city must raise more than $80 million to meet the EPA's sewage standards. He says the city had already received a $4 million grant, and he hopes to receive more in grant money to help offset the costs.
