City council moves forward with reducing stormwater fee

FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI) - The Frankfort City Council moved forward with plans to reduce the city's stormwater fee Monday night. But not without a fight.

The council voted 4-3 to reduce the city's stormwater fee by 15 percent. The reduction also caps the monthly fee at $850 for larger non-residential users, like Frito Lay and the city's school corporation.    
    
But members of the city's Utility Service Board want a different proposal to reduce rates. That proposal would reduce rates by 10 percent and install a $1,000 cap for larger users.
    
Members of the board said the city needs to finance for the future.

But Mayor Chris McBarnes said the proposal the council voted on does help finance the future.

"Utility costs are a major overhead within any industry and any small business that prevents them from hiring on new employees, as well as giving them a sense of stability that they will be able to be in our community, long term," McBarnes explained.

McBarnes said he hopes the council and the Utility Service Board will discuss the matter and come to an agreement.

McBarnes said the ordinance can be amended for the second reading.