Water bills in the city of St. Louis would jump 40-percent soon, under a bill moving toward final passage in the board of Aldermen. The water rate hike could get final passage next week.
After just three weeks of debate in which water mains broke around the city, the board put the final touches on a bill that would raise the water bill $120 a year for the average household.
They voted down an amendment offered by Alderwoman Cara Spencer that would have forbidden automatic rate hikes in the future based on the rate of inflation. "It's just not something that you see, for good reason," Spencer tells KMOX. "the cost to the consumer should be tied directly to the cost of providing that utility."
Supporters say the water department has been chronically underfunded and the city needs to make sure its water system will be properly funded and maintained.
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