(KAIR)--Atchison residents will soon see a slight increase in their water bill as a slight rate increase for water and waste water use was approved by the Atchison City Commission during their meeting Monday afternoon.

City Finance Director Becky Anderson explains that the water rate increase will vary among residential and commercial customers. This year, there will be a flat $2 increase to the base rate for residential customers, and then commercial and industrial customers will see a five percent increase. Anderson says that “At budget time, we anticipated needing to increase rates six percent, which is what we did last year...we have seen a little bit of improvement in consumption, so revenues are up a little bit from where we thought they were, and we have also been able to control expenditures a lot more than we had anticipated”.

Anderson adds that waste water rates have increased five percent each year for the past three years, with the same increase planned for this year, and this is mainly to ensure compliance with state guidelines. She says that “We are required to have $3.1 million in revenues generated each year starting in 2017. Where we are at now, even with the five percent increase each year, we are going to fall about $450,000 short of that, so we are trying to figure out other ways to make up that difference. One thing we are doing is the CSO fee, which will essentially replace the trash fee”.

Anderson says that even the added revenue will not be enough to bridge the gap. It is hoped that the gap will be a lot smaller once the 2017 date gets closer.

Commissioners approved the new rates by a 5-0 vote.