Thomson Township: Needed sewer rate increases explained

Thomson Township officials hosted a sewer rates presentation Thursday, Sept. 8, to allow the township engineer Joe Jurewicz to explain why he is recommending an increase in rates for upcoming years.

When Jurewicz and the Thomson Township board of supervisors began public discussion about raising sewer rates earlier this summer, the prospect was met with questions from the community about why there was a need for a price hike. Jurewicz and the board offered the sewer rates presentation to the public to give them an opportunity to see the work that went into figuring out the numbers and to ask questions.

Despite only two attendees of the meeting, Jurewicz explained the history of the sewer rates in Thomson Township, how those compare to surrounding communities, why a sewer rate increase was needed, and the plan he recommended going forward to gradually increase the rates.

According to Jurewicz, Thomson Township has not increased sewer rates since 2009, when rates were increased from $25 to $35 a month.

Rates haven’t kept up to inflation, he explained, and township officials want to make sure there are enough fund reserves to cover maintenance of the sewage system when issues arise.

Jurewicz also explained the township’s current fee, $35, is the lowest in comparison to surrounding communities such as Cloquet, Pike Lake, Carlton, Hermantown, and Duluth.

Taking into account all of the pieces that go into maintaining the sewage system, AE2S, the township’s engineering firm, recommended a rate of $46 to keep all operations fully funded.

Jurewicz told the board he knows it’s a significant increase, so he recommended the township implement it gradually. His recommendation is that rates go up to $40 in 2023, $45 in 2024, and $50 in 2025. This will have a smaller impact on residents, while still inching closer to the rate that the township needs to be charging, he said.

Jurewicz encouraged the town board to look at sewer rates annually and continue to take inflation into account so that these increases can be made even smaller in future years.

A recording of the presentation is available on the township’s website for residents who were not able to be in attendance.

Following the presentation, the board held its first meeting of the month.

Board supervisors voted to sign the mutual aid agreement they negotiated with the Cloquet Area Fire District, after declining to sign the initial agreement offered by CAFD due to it being too broad.

In other business, the board discussed the landscaping around the town hall. Supervisors decided to leave the conversation open and continue to discuss potential parties that could help do fall clean-up around the building.

The board will meet again Sept. 22.