There was both good news and bad news for residents of the Superior area when the Superior City Council met on Monday evening.

First the good news.

While not a part of this year’s planned street improvement budget a major repair has been made. In early August, it was discovered a storm water drain which serves a main entrance to Superior on the west side of town was failing and the pavement breaking up. Because of the emergency nature of the problem, the repairs were completed before the council approved the project. Payment of the $22,500 bill submitted by Van Kirk Brothers Construction was approved by the council without descent.

The storm sewer tube which carried run off from the gutter on the north side of Third Street at the west city limits and crossed under Third Street had developed a leak. It was being undermined and the road was sinking. With the fall harvest starting soon and the volume of loaded trucks passing over the tube, the repair was considered to be an emergency. Bids were sought from two contractors and the low bidder selected.

The Van Kirk firm had a crew here working on the airport parking lot and was able to quickly repair the problem.

The other good news is related to city utility rates. The current rates being charged Superior utility customers for natural gas and electricity will remain at the current level for the next fiscal year.

Andrew Brittenham explained why this was possible.

He said the amount of electricity being sold by the city had increased significantly and the city had entered into a fixed price contract with its wholesale power supplier.

Natural gas consumption was also up slightly and the city has changed its buying strategy. The strategy will not allow as much purchasing flexibility when prices are low but it will help hold down the cost when wholesale prices spike.

And now for the bad news.

The cost of both water and sewer service will be going up. The price increases were said to be necessary to cover the rising cost of supplies used in the operation of the two departments.

Monday evening the council approved an approximate 4 percent increase in the monthly cost of residential sewer service and a 3.9 percent monthly increase in the cost of commercial service. The new rate will be effective with the Oct. 1 bills which are due Oct. 16.

The average residential customer uses 15,000 gallons of water during the summer months and 7,000 gallons during the winter months.

The new rates will increase the residential customer charge from $12.50 per month to $13.50 per month The cost of the commodity will increase from $33.75 to $34.50 for the average uses. The winter commodity portion of the average customer’s bill will increase from $15.75 to $16.10.

The average commercial customers 21,000 gallons of water per month in the summer and 12,000 gallons per month in the winter.

The fixed monthly customer charge is increasing from $24.15 to $25.00. The summer commodity cost will increase from $47.46 to $49.56. The winter commodity charge for the average customer will increase from $27.12 to $28.32.

The wastewater disposal fixed monthly customer charge is raising a $1 from $27.50 to $28.50. The average residential customer disposes of about 7,000 gallons of wastewater per month. The current volume charge of $18.31 will not change.

The average commercial wastewater customers releases about 12,000 gallons of water per month. The basic monthly customer charge will increase from $34.75 to $35.75. The commodity charge for that average customer will remain at $39.45 per month.

In other action Monday evening, the council held two public hearings to provide for public input on the budget for the coming fiscal year. There was no comment from the public and the budget was adopted without change.

As has been the case for at least four years, the amount of money being requested from the local property tax is holding firm at $335,320. As the valuation has increased 6 percent from approximately $77.76 million to approximately $82.69 million, the levy is expected to decline.

As the city is seeking grants to assist with several projects including the possible construction of a new fire station, the budget provides for additional spending.

Approval was given for a winter car clinic to be held in the city parking lot on Saturday, Nov. 19. Andrew Miller appeared at the council meeting and explained the public service proposal being developed by several local men.

While they will make no repairs, they will inspect vehicles and make recommendations as to what is needed for reliable winter service. The inspection will include such things as checking the antifreeze, tire inflation, tire wear and electrical systems. Suggestions will also be made as to stocking a winter survival kit.

The request for a handicapped parking stall on the north side of the Superior Auditorium was approved. This will give the auditorium two handicapped parking stalls.

The council re-declared the property at 826 Central to be a public nuisance. The property has previously been cited as a public nuisance and the city has removed the violations and assessed the property owner.

The council approved an ordinance removing the parking regulations that had been placed on streets surrounding the former South Ward School. Since the school has been removed and a commercial business is now located on the site, the regulations were considered to be unnecessary.

An ordinance increasing the restrictions on selling and shooting fireworks within the city limits was passed on third and final reading.

The police department’s revolving door continues to spin. A new officer is hired, sent to the police academy for the required training only to have them quit and leave town.

Trevor Dozler is the latest officer to leave. The recent graduate of the law enforcement academy has accepted a position as a Fillmore County deputy sheriff.