Sunday, December 15, 2024–5:45 p.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

The Rome City Commission is expected to approve the 2025 budgets, water & sewer rates, and solid waste fees it meets on Monday.

A proposed five-and-a-half percent rate increase for Rome water and sewer customers is being recommended for 2025 and 2026, with the rates being reexamined after those two years.

“We usually averaged two-and-a-half to four percent increases over five or six years,” said One Rome Water and Services Division Director John Boyd. “We had a couple of years where we didn’t have any. In 2019, we had a five percent increase. In 2020, we had three percent. Then we had the big increases of nine percent and nine percent in 2022 and 2023. In reality, those nine percent increases, if we weren’t dealing with what we were dealing with, they would have been three percent increases just to keep up with the cost of living and the cost of materials.”

Boyd stressed that customers would be paying nine percent increases over the next couple of years instead of the five-and-a-half percent that is being recommended, if not for PFAS-related settlement funds. 

The commission is also expected to approve Solid waste fees for 2025 with slight increases for garbage and yard waste collection.

Commissioners will also consider a return of fares for Rome Transit Department buses.

The proposed rates are $1.50 for the Fixed Route Regular Full Fare, 75 cents for the Fixed Route Senior/Disabled/Student Fare, and $2.25 for the Paratransit Service Fare.

Transfers and Children under 5 will be free. 

The rates would be effective March 31, 2025.

The city commission caucus begins at 5 pm in the Sam King Room at Rome City Hall.

The regular meeting starts at 6:30 in the commission chambers.