GEORGETOWN, Ky. — After a nearly five-hour city council meeting in Georgetown, community members may be asked to pay higher water and sewer fees. It comes after two mistakes that the mayor said cost taxpayers nearly $50 million. 

What You Need To Know

  • Community members in Georgetown are concerned about the proposed increased rates of water and sewer

  • These increases come after two major issues cost the city millions of dollars

  • Georgetown residents heard about this increase after the Nov. 28 Council Meeting

  • Rising bills are a concern for many residents around the area, many of whom are already stretched thin for finances 

Georgetown resident Caitlin Tudor is just one of the many frustrated community members after the Nov. 28 council meeting.

“That is something that you have to pay. You can’t go without running water. It is not considered civilized and you can have all sorts of problems that come about if you have your water shut off,” Tudor said.

Affordability is a genuine concern Tudor said can come from this proposed water and sewer rate increase for many in Georgetown.

“It wasn’t just a traditional rate increase like you would expect, it was a 58% rate increase, which is huge,” Tudor said. “A lot of people won’t be able to afford that.”

Currently, the minimum rate for water per 2,000 gallons, which accounts for nearly 40% of the city’s population, would rise from $13.49 to $18.75 minimum starting on Jan. 1, 2023. 

“It will mean paying one thing versus another or having something shut off. And I don’t know of any programs that have been established to try to mitigate that,” Tudor said.

A representative who proposed this increase during the city council meeting says the longer the city delays the inevitable, the higher the rates will get.

“And now the city’s in crisis mode and trying to figure out what has to be done. The citizens will have to take at least some of a rate increase and it isn’t going to be what should normally take place; it will be a lot higher,” Tudor said.

Mayor Tom Prather wrote a letter stating the two issues that caused this increase. The engineering firm did not specify a sufficient amount of structural concrete and reinforcing steel, along with a math error made by consultants in 2019 on the interest payments on the bond that funded the construction. 

“It’s crazy knowing that the infrastructure of our water system is not where it needs to be, and these rates do not even touch those needs. It is strictly to cover the crisis that our city is currently in, which is really upsetting,” Tudor said.

Community members are looking for answers. What help can they expect from the city if the increase is approved? Who is going to take responsibility? And many hope there will be more open communication between the city and residents moving forward. 

The city council plans to have a meeting Monday evening where the mayor says the council will consider a special examination by the state auditor.

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