City Council holds off on water rate decision

The Graham City Council decided to table a decision Thursday to act on an ordinance, which would raise water rates based on a study done by the consultant group La Costa Environmental LLC. City Manager Brandon Anderson said due to concerns brought up at a public forum Tuesday about how commercial businesses would be affected by higher rates, the council should table the discussion until their next meeting. “The escalated rate on the topside for those businesses could put an undue burden on those businesses,” Anderson said. Additionally, Anderson said a calculation made by La Costa Environmental in the water rates comparison was incorrect and a new comparison was given out during the council meeting. The section affected was the water rate comparison for the higher usage total customer bill for the Option 1 and 2, 36,000-58,000 gallon rates. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.