Austin residents could see a slight increase on their monthly utility fees starting July 1.

The Austin City Council, facing a new financial burden estimated at $17.5 million to clean up the Cedar River Watershed, prepared Monday night to increase the city’s stormwater utility fee from $2.50 per month to $4. If passed, the hike would go into effect July 1 of this year, and Austin residents would see it on their utility bill for that month. The council would then plan for an increase of 15 cents in July each successive year. The council also said another staff member would likely be necessary to manage the stormwater issues.

Concerns stemmed from a presentation by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on the Cedar River Watershed. The MPCA described the steps the city will be required to take to meet stream and lake water quality standards, which involve improving storm sewer systems and developing a plan to prevent pollution from stormwater.

“It would take us approximately 40 years of our current stormwater utility rate to do that,” City Engineer Jon Erichson said of the cost.

“I know they sound a little bit scary, but don’t hang your hat on those particular numbers,” said Anna Kerr of the MPCA’s Municipal Stormwater Program. There may be opportunities for grants and low-interest loans, she added.

“It looks like a severe raise,” said Mayor Tom Stiehm. “But if you average it out over 10 years, it comes out smaller.”

“We are addressing all these categories at a minimal level,” said City Engineer Jon Erichson. The increases, he said, would be only what is necessary to get by.

At the council’s work session after the meeting, members debated whether the city should hire a new staff member to help address the issue.

“I can’t believe we’re talking about adding staff,” said council member Roger Boughton. To cover the salary of a stormwater specialist alone, the council would have to add more than 30 cents to the stormwater utility fee. The council discussed sharing staff with Albert Lea, but the city’s staff member is occupied full-time with that city. Ultimately, it postponed the hiring to be considered at a later date.

Improvements to water quality have a number of environmental benefits, according to the MPCA’s website.

“Stormwater often contains oil, chemicals, excess phosphorous, toxic metals, litter, and disease-causing organisms,” the website said. It frequently damages stream banks and injures or kills fish and other aquatic organisms.

In other business

Earlier in the meeting, the council unanimously approved a series of cost assessments for street improvement projects.

It also approved an exception in the zoning ordinance for the proposed middle school that surpassed building height zoning restrictions at 1800 Fourth Ave. SE. and made a motion to provide the Start a Park for Austin’s Respectable K-9s group (S.P.A.R.K.) with a equipment to install a dog park fence.