Topics like sewer rates and loitering might seem mundane to many people. But approval by Fayetteville City Council Aug. 7 of a rate increase for sewer use marked the end of a three-year process while an amendment to the city’s loitering ordinance was intended to address an issue of a more recent nature.

The unanimous vote on the sewer rate increase was essentially a foregone conclusion, as it was the third and final phase of a three-year plan to increase the rate to pay for work in the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

The council in 2006 decided to phase in the cost of improvement to the public works system over the three-year period.

The base rate for residential customers will increase from $13.20 to $15.95, from $11.22 to $13.56 for seniors and from $25.20 to $27.95 for businesses. The usage charge for all categories would increase from $2.30 to $2.85 per 1,000 gallons over the 2,000 gallon base.

Assistant Finance Director Ellen Walls told council members the upgraded wastewater treatment plant was inspected last week and is ready to go.

“This state-of-the-art plant will handle effluent through the build-out of the city,” said Mayor Ken Steele. “I expect it to be a long time before we have to raise the rates again.”

The council Aug. 7 also gave unanimous approval to an amendment to the city’s loitering ordinance. The amendment will add a provision for parental responsibility to the current loitering ordinance.

The amended ordinance says parents will be issued a warning citation on the first offense received by the minor child. Future offenses will result in penalties to be determined in city court.

“There was lots of interest in the juvenile curfew ordinance. Parents were concerned and trying to do their best so there won’t be any problems they’d have to answer for,” Police Chief Steve Heaton said at an earlier meeting. “The reason for adding parental responsibility to the loitering ordinance is to be consistent for having parents responsible for their kids not loitering in the city. We have had concerns in the past and we don’t want them in the future.”

Heaton told the council the impetus for including a provision for a juvenile component with parental responsibility in the current loitering ordinance came at the suggestion of the city attorney after he researched the issue and spoke with other city attorneys.

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