Centerville’s town council will hear residents’ comments about proposed new water rates and charges on Sept. 9.
Higher bills for trash collection might not be far behind.
Water
Residents might wonder why their water bills would rise when Phase II of a three-phase bill increase is already underway.
Centerville customers now pay $13.07 per month per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,330 gallons, and $43.52 for the smallest meter (5/8 inch).
Those costs were already scheduled to increase to $13.72 per 1,000 gallons and $45.69 for the smallest meter in the adopted Phase III.
Under the new proposal, bills would be $14.41 and $47.99 in Phase III, and $15.13 and $50.38 in Phase IV. Both recommendations are a 5% across-the-board increase.
The amended Phase III bill increase would go into effect April 1, 2026. Phase IV would start in 2027.
During council’s Aug. 12 meeting, Mitchell Eschweiler of Indianapolis-based Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors LLC explained the reasons.
Centerville previously secured a state loan to help repair and replace water equipment to improve service and safety. Goals included replacing lead service lines and conducting water tower maintenance.
Related to that funding, Centerville received a state grant toward replacing lead lines.
However, as work progressed, engineers discovered that portion of town had less lead than anticipated. That means the grant won’t cover as much of the water project as expected, and remaining grant funds must be used for lead replacement elsewhere in town or given back to the state.
Thus, Centerville’s bond financing isn’t high enough to finish the water project, so a $575,000 bond at 3.18% interest over 35 years is proposed. A 20-year bond would mean a bigger rate hike. Customers’ water bills need to be increased to cover the difference.
The public hearing will take place during council’s meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, in town hall, 220 E. Main St., Centerville.
Residents also can submit comments in advance to srice@town.centerville.in.us or P.O. Box 125, Centerville, IN 47330. They can also be delivered to 204 E. Main St. or faxed to 765-855-2514.
Trash
Slick began shopping for a replacement trash truck because it takes two years to get one delivered. A comparable truck is $260,000 to $275,000.
BakerTilly started a rate study to determine how much bills would need to increase to buy the truck.
Councilor Gary Holbert recommends also installing a cover for it and the leaf collector because both are expensive purchases.
In other business
- Police Chief Josh Millsaps said a lightning strike hit the police station’s tower and damaged a repeater and computer equipment. A computer hard drive was recovered. They’re filing an insurance claim.
- Resident Gary Killen repeated concerns that a Maplewood Park shelter hadn’t been repaired shortly before Archway Days. He said falling soffit could injure someone and then the town could be liable because of neglected repairs. Town Manager Kevin Slick said repairs had been delayed so it wouldn’t be closed during the festival. Slick said he’d determine if the soffit should be removed until repairs are done.
- Council approved Sunset View Estates’ request for a neighborhood street closure from 1-3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, for a small festivity and Centerville Senior High School’s request to conduct its homecoming parade from 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, along the traditional route.
A version of this article appeared in the August 27 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.