LUMBERTON, Texas — Officials with the Lumberton Municipal Utility District said an upcoming rate change will help the reliability and affordability of water and sewer services.
Starting April 4, 2022, the water rate and fees for Lumberton Municipal Utility District customers will increase, according to a Lumberton MUD release.
Officials with the utility district said they had to raise prices due to inflation.
“Everything that we’re dealing with has kind of gone through the roof,” Rodd Starr, Lumberton MUD district manager, said. “We haven’t had a rate increase since 2011 for the cost per 1,000 in water."
Officials said cost to utility throughout the water and sewage industry are on the rise. Officials are working to manage those costs while simultaneously supplying community members with high-quality drinking water and sewer services.
Officials said that, “having adequate and sound infrastructure will take us one step closer to building a more resilient Lumberton.” Prices for most property owners are expected to increase by $6.
More on: Breakdown of new fee structure
"A little under 90-percent of our customers will see less than $6 a month,” Starr said. “The minimum bill will go up by about by $2.51."
Minimum consumption is measured as anywhere from zero to 1,500 gallons per month. The average consumption bill will increase by $5.83 per month. Average water consumption is measured at 7,000 gallons per month.
The increase in pricing comes as the cost to maintain the city’s water continues to go up.
“The price for chemicals, disinfectant, sequestering agents, everything,” Starr said. “I just got another price increase yesterday on chlorine that we use to disinfect water.”
Starr said the district did not want to have to raise prices but was left with no choice due to inflation.
"Just another thing that consumers are having to pay for, and trust me, we don’t want this anymore than anyone else but being a non-profit, we have to cover our costs,” Starr said.
However, Starr has noticed that so far, Lumberton residents have been surprisingly understanding and have shown gratitude for the warning.
“For the most part, I've actually had three positive phone calls today, which blew me away,” Starr said. “They said, ‘Hey we appreciate you watching out and glad you guys are staying on top of things.'”
According to the American Water Works Association, cities across the US have been raising utility rates as they work to upgrade outdated systems.
Anyone who has questions regarding the new rates is encouraged to call the Lumberton Municipal Utility District at 409-755-1559.
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From a Lumberton MUD release:
Dear Lumberton Municipal Utility District Water and Sewer Customer,
As costs to our utility throughout the industry continue to rise, Lumberton MUD is committed to managing those costs and staying efficient while upholding our commitment to supplying high-quality drinking water and sewer service to our community. Having adequate and sound infrastructure will take us one step closer to building a more resilient Lumberton. This rate and fee adjustment will help ensure the reliability and affordability of basic water and sewer services for Lumberton MUD’s customers. The new fee structure in its entirety can be found on our website at https://www.lumbertonmud.com/rates the new rate for water and sewer services will go into effect for the April 4, 2022 billing cycle. If you have questions about the rate change, please contact: Lumberton Municipal Utility District at (409) 755-1559.
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