Sewer rates are likely going up in Bentonville in the near future.

A firm hired to prepare financial projections and recommend a rate increase is still finalizing its report, but water utility staff told City Council on August 11 that it’s looking like a 9% year-over-year increase for the next six years.

Residents might associate the expected rate increase with the sewer capacity issues that have halted development in parts of Bentonville. However, city leaders maintain that the upgrades needed to fix those issues will not be financed by higher customer rates.

“No pipe upsizing” will be financed by the updated rates, Preston Newbill, deputy director of the water utility, said.

However, the $152.7 million cost of expanding the sewage treatment plant will be reflected in customer bills and partly explains the expected increases.

In the draft financial projections, $2 million a year is also budgeted for improvements to reduce the amount of stormwater that floods the sewer system on rainy days. Excess stormwater strains the system and increases the amount of water that must be treated at the wastewater plant.

The rate recommendations could be finalized as soon as the end of August and will need City Council approval.

The recorded conversation between water utility staff and City Council members begins at 2:12 here.