The Honolulu City Council is considering a short-term boost in sewer fees instead of a substantial increase.
The Honolulu Department of Environmental Services is proposing to bump up residents' sewer fees by more than 100% over the next decade to pay for wastewater upgrades.
“We understand the financial strain that these rate increases may cause for our residents, but these adjustments are critical for the long-term sustainability of our island’s wastewater system,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi said at a press conference in October.
On Tuesday the council suggested a modest 4% that applies only to next year.
Along with potential salary savings from vacant city jobs, Council Chair Tommy Waters said the administration would still be able to fund wastewater projects for a year.
During that time, he hopes city officials can come up with a more reasonable sewer fee increase.
"I kind of want to put it back on the administration to figure out a way going forward on how to supplement not just the sewer fund, but how to lower people's rate. There's 4% plus the $22 million in vacancy funds equals the 9%, which is what they need for this year. So it buys us time to actually figure out going forward how else to supplement this fund," Waters said.
The average residential sewer fee on Oʻahu is about $100 per month. The administration's original proposal would increase that to $250 in 2034.
