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CHALMETTE, La. (AP) — St. Bernard Parish officials plan to hold a town hall meeting to explain a scheduled vote on increasing water and sewer rates by 70 percent.
The Parish Council has discussed increasing the rates for most of the past year.
The New Orleans Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1wh9R0I ) the town hall meeting is set for Jan. 5. The council will meet the next day and could vote then on the proposal.
Residents using 8,000 gallons of water each month would see their combined water and sewer bills rise to $59.41 per month, up from $34.94 a month at present.
A consulting firm hired this year to evaluate the parish's water system found that water rates are too low by almost a third and sewer rates are 80 percent below operating costs.
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Information from: The New Orleans Advocate, http://www.neworleansadvocate.com
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