Rates are increasing on your monthly water bill. City Council members approved a meter fee for the replacement and maintenance of water meters in Newcastle.
The approval came in the May general meeting of the council.
City Manager Kevin Self said staff has been replacing water meters throughout the city and pulling the cost of those from the water impact fee. He said they are not cheap to replace, at a cost between $400 to $500 per meter. Mayor Karl Nail added that the City had an Oklahoma Water Resources Board loan of $1 million about 14 years ago to modernize and replace meters. He said now they are going out.
The new fee will go into effect for all Newcastle customers on July 1. The fees to be charged are based on the following water pipe sizes: 5/8 inch - $6; 1 inch - $6; 2-inch - $9; 3-inch - $13; 4-inch - $17; 6-inch - $25; and 8-inch - $34. City staff had checked around other communities such as Tuttle, Chickasha, Lawton, Shawnee and Mustang to see what other municipalities were doing. The new rate chart is based on a similar chart used in Shawnee.
Ordinance No. 943 was approved amending the existing City ordinance to add the water meter fee.
