Monett pushes residents, workers in city to complete survey

By Jessica Breger Special to the Monett Monthly

The Monett City Council held its regular meeting on April 10, officially approving raising rates for city water and sewage.

The motion was presented during the March City Council meeting which was preceded by a public hearing. In April,the motion passed with a unanimous vote by the board. 

Mayor Randy Burke said rates have not been raised since 2014, and the city stands to face financial issues if rates are not raised. 

“If we don’t raise our rates, we stand to lose about a quarter of a million dollars this year,” He said.

Burke said that the rate hike is spread over five years to keep the city within parameters of the “debt ratio” needed to access the State Revolving Fund.

With the aid of the State Revolving Fund, the city would be able to pay for “significant treatments” at the wastewater facility, according to Burke. 

Among the treatments is a project estimated at $7-$8 million dollars to upgrade oxidation ditches at the facility. This would replace older mechanical aeration with some defused air, according to Utilities Manager Skip Schaller.

Updates to the front of the facility will also allow the city to utilize older parts of the plant that have been abandoned. 

“We want to kind of recycle and reuse,” Schaller said. 

He added that this move will allow the plant to pull sludge from the front of the plant. 

The updates to the facility will make it  more energy efficient and will expand the facility’s overall capacity. 

The new base rates for 2025 will go into effect in October, with water rates rising from a base rate of $12 per first 1,000 gallons to $20 per first 1,000 gallons and sewer rising from $28 per first 2,000 gallons to $22 per first 1,000 gallons.

The discount for seniors will remain in effect, so while the price will increase, senior citizens will still pay a half of the new base rate.

The council also discussed city employee wages during the meeting, approving amending the city budget by an approximate $147,000 to implement a wage study to ensure city employee rates align with the current market. 

The city also approved continued retention of legal council as the city’s representative to negotiate contracts with unionized workers.

Council also informed residents of a current survey being performed in collaboration with Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) to gain public opinion on updates to the city comprehensive plan. The council stressed that they are looking for input from Monett residents, as well as non-residents, who have ties to Monett. The survey may be completed at https://www.smcog.org/monettcommunitysurvey, and paper copies are available at city hall.

The Council also mentioned the survey, which closes May 11, at their work session meeting. 

Burke said the survey generally takes 20 minutes to complete and is an opportunity for residents and workers to have their voices heard in the planning of the city’s future. 

Regular City Council meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Monett School District Board Room, with video available on the city’s website the following day