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LAKE CITY, S.C. — Lake City has approved its $13.8 million budget for fiscal year 2022-23, which is a $1.8 million increase in total revenue from last year.

The budget does not include an increase in property taxes, but residents will see increases in water and sewer fees and for the first time residents will be charged a stormwater fee.

The budget also includes a 3% across the board raise for city employees and seven new job positions: three fire engineers, three police officers, and one economic development coordinator.

William Hall, the city’s administrator, said the city has never had stormwater fees. “We were always paying for stormwater out of our general fund,” he said. “This is the first year we are implementing a stormwater fee.”

Multi-family residential properties (mobile homes, duplexes, quadruplexes, apartment complexes) will have a $2 a month stormwater fee. Single-family residential properties will have a $4 stormwater fee, and commercial properties will have a $44 stormwater fee.

The city’s sewer and water administration fee is $3.75 and that is up $0.05 from last year.

Residential and commercial customers within city limits using 2,500 gallons of water will have a $9.99 monthly water bill. That is a $0.59 increase from last year. Residential and commercial customers within city limits using 1,000 gallons will have a $2.46 monthly water bill, a $0.10 increase from last year.

Residential and commercial customers outside city limits using 2,500 gallons of water will have a monthly bill of $20.63.That is an $1.18 increase from last year. Residential and commercial customers using 1,000 gallons will have a monthly bill of $5.10, which is an increase of $0.20 from last year.

Industrial users regardless of being inside or outside city limits using 2,500 gallons will have a monthly bill of $11.17, which is a $1.77 increase from last year. Industrial users inside and outside city limits using 1,000 gallons of water will have a monthly bill of $2.66, an increase of $0.30 from last year.

Sewer rates also have increases.

Residential and commercial users within city limits using 2,500 gallons will have a monthly bill of $24.59, up $3.50 from last year. Residential and commercial users within city limits using 1,000 gallons will have a $6.05 monthly bill, an increase of $0.25 from last year.

Residential and commercial users outside city limits using $2,500 will have a monthly bill of $35.80, a $4.25 increase from last year. Residential and commercial users outside city limits using 1,000 gallons will have a monthly bill of $7.22, an increase of $0.50.

Commercial users will have to purchase their own containers and will have a weekly fee for service.

“Those are big overhead containers that we purchase for commercial properties,” Hall said. “We don’t feel it is appropriate for taxpayers to pay for commercial businesses. The businesses will buy them at cost.”

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