The water bill could get more expensive in York County

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — People in York County are bracing for higher utility bills.

The York County council presented a budget that includes an increase in water and sewer rates, but they’re already getting pushback from neighbors.

Channel 9 South Carolina Reporter Tina Terry learned more about why county officials say they need that increase, and how it’s making residents feel.

“We have such a population increase,” Daryl Adams told Terry.

Adams lives in Fort Mill’s Regent Park, and he says growth has placed an increased demand for water and sewer services.

There’s already a major water and sewer project underway in the area, and county leaders say they’re currently studying many more projects needed in the future.

“We have major capacity needs right now. We have five capital studies going on to make sure our neighborhoods having challenges have infrastructure they need to be successful,” said York County Manager Joshua Edwards.

In its proposed budget, county leaders included a 6% water rate increase and a 10% sewer rate increase.

During the first reading of that budget Thursday night, board member Tom Audette pushed back against the proposal, but Edwards said the increase is inevitable.

“We look at a budget 44 million over last year’s budget. This creates heartburn for the taxpayer and I’m not willing to put one dime of increase on taxpayers’ backs when it comes to this,” Audette said.

Edwards responded, saying: “We are in a situation where we need to start putting money back into our fund balance. We have taken it from fund balance. We can only do that for so many years before we have serious challenges. This is a serious thing.”

Adams told Channel 9 he feels the pinch of rising prices, but in the case of water and sewer rates, he understands the need.

“So I don’t mind paying a little extra because I know how it works,” Adams said.

Audette recommended changing the rate increase to just 3% for both water and sewer. His recommendation passed Thursday night, but this is just the first of three readings.

A public hearing on the budget will take place May 12.