By Pepper Fisher

SEQUIM – Water and sewer utility rates for Sequim residents will not be going up in 2022 after the City Council voted Monday night to table the idea for another year.

Finance Director Sue Hagener was asking for a 2% rate hike to kick in next year to give the budget a small buffer.

“The budgets as they exist right now for 2022, they are both balanced. Not that that was an easy feat, assuming no rate increases. It’s much better to take a modest increase every once in a while, than a huge leap once every ten years or so. Those rate increases can be extraordinarily painful.”

A 2% rate hike for water and sewer combined would bring in about $145,000 to the City and cost the average household an extra $1.80 per month.

Councilor Tom Ferrell thought it sounded reasonable.

“Okay, I’ve looked over the numbers and I really appreciate the fact that Council and staff has lived well within the zero increase during our big Covid year last year. And I personally, after looking at the numbers in great detail, think that 2% would be very reasonable.”

Councilor Mike Pence didn’t agree.

“I’ve also been studying all these numbers and I’ve been studying the country in general, and I don’t see how we can increase any rates with the state of the economy and the way the unemployment is going. That I would just assume keep the rates the same. If we have to reduce a capital project, that’s fine. But I really don’t want to see an increase to our people. I don’t want to pick their pockets so we can buy a dump trucks and whatnot.”

Hagener added that the City is expanding it’s utility assistance program which would cut a qualifying ratepayer’s bill by 50%.

But after much discussion Councilor Keith Larkin made a motion to suspend any rate increases until January 1, 2023 and it passed on a 4-2 vote.