Residents in the Town of Normal will see a slight hike in their water bill next month.
The council approved a two percent increase for the water rate in a 4-3 vote Monday night with council members Kevin McCarthy, Scott Preston, and Kathleen Lorenz voting "no."
City Manager Mark Peterson said most households will see an increase of 82 cents to their monthly water cost. He added that it wouldn't have been critical if the council voted against the increased rate, but there could have been a larger increase down the line.
"It will help kind of keep pace with inflation and allow us to continue to aggressively invest back in the system and make sure the water system is in good condition not only today, but well into the future," said Peterson.
The council also approved an increase in sewer rates. This is the first adjustment in the sewer rate in three years and the average household will only experience a monthly increase of 24 cents.
The town will see $2.3 million go to improvement projects for Greenbriar Drive and Hershey Road. The council awarded a contract to Stark Excavating for the northeast street work. The road improvements are near the new Destihl brewery facility.
Peterson said he is hopeful the extension will spur more interest in the vacant land available for commercial purposes.
"Certainly Destihl is a great example. That was the first and that's really the impetus behind going ahead and extending Greenbriar. It was to accommodate Destihl which is a great community asset and will certainly bring some good paying jobs to the community," said Peterson.
The council additionally approved a $1 million project for Core Construction to build out offices for the town on the second floor of the future One Uptown on the Circle building.
The meeting ended with a resolution honoring Cheryl Gaines who served her final meeting on the council after 24 years of service.
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