CFPUA Board approves rate increase

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Board this morning approved increasing rates starting in May.

CFPUA says the average bill will go up 4.4 percent or about $2.70 a month.

The move helps address an eight-percent decline in consumption in Fiscal Year 2014 and a projected reduction in usage in the next fiscal year. It comes after the CFPUA board voted in February to cut the utility’s budget $1.2 million.

The rate approved today will move the residential uniform rate from $3.42 per 1,000 gallons for water usage to $3.67 per 1,000 gallons, and sewer usage from $4.21 per 1,000 gallons to $4.56 per 1,000 gallons. The new rates will take effect beginning with bills dated on or after May 1.

The changes do not affect the fixed base rates, which CFPUA says accounts for about 40 percent of the average customer’s bill.