WATER, SEWER RATE INCREASES SEEM FAIR

City residents will pay more for water and trash service in the coming year. Fees are a touchy subject. Many taxpayers get irate about the thought of raising any taxes or fees. All their frustrations about government can crystallize in such an issue. But let's examine the issue.

The city will raise water fees by 2 percent and trash collection by 2.1 percent. The increase is minimal, to say the least. The combined fee increase would add 58 cents to the average monthly residential utility bill.

The water and sewer systems are designed to be self-supporting. When costs go up, fees follow. Customers are billed on the amount of water and sewer services used -- again, a pay-as-you-go kind of service. You pay for your own water and trash and not someone else's.

The council could have recommended a bigger increase. Income for both solid-waste and the water system won't keep pace with expenditures in next year's budget that begins July 1. But the city is looking ahead when debt-service retirement expenditures will drop in the coming years.

The city is also grappling with the fact that the transfer station is handling less trash. Some private haulers have taken their business elsewhere. The projected loss of revenue from fewer haulers is a hefty $250,000. The city should look for ways to attract haulers back.

The city may also want to make the service more transfer station more accessible for working folks by extending service hours. The transfer station currently operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Perhaps the city should experiment with opening on a Saturday morning to increase usage. These additional hours might give a boost to commercial use as well.

City officials continue to be up front about the budget numbers that show just how the costs are rising. Officials also have been conservative on the amount of fee increase. Councilmen could have increased the fees by twice as much without a vote of the people.

And Cape Girardeau taxpayers should be heartened by the continued improvements of the sewer system, which is evident throughout the town.

Trash and water fees are going up, but the increases seem well in line with the budget numbers. Continued information and open debate should help alleviate a knee-jerk reaction by taxpayers.