Rexburg City officials have announced that beginning on October 1, residents can anticipate a 7.5 percent increase in their utility bills. This means that the bill for your garbage, water, and sewer costs can likely spike at the beginning of Fall. Your utility costs may increase from $88.71 monthly, to approximately $95.38 monthly. The city has not increased their rates since 2013; however, recently the city has had some things creep up on them, specifically personnel and depreciation. Councilwoman Donna Benfield noted that in order to avoid large utility spikes at once, the city will try to implement, smaller increases on a more frequent basis.
While the city is not excited about the increased rates, they feel that it will be a beneficial investment for the future. The city’s sanitation department is in dire need of new equipment. They are also looking to add another garbage truck and route, to their already pre-existing routes. If residents would like to find out more about the utility increases, there will be a city council meeting, open to all residents on July 19, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.