The 20 percent hike in water and sewer fees left many Westminster residents without any answers on whether the smallest users would be unfairly targeted.

“Do you have figures on the amount of water that is paid for but not used?” asked resident Ruth Anderson at Monday’s meeting when the City Council approved increases to water and sewer fees, as well as the property tax.

Joe Urban, Westminster’s director of finance, said the current system “can not provide that information easily.”

Westminster charges residential users for using a minimum of 6,000 gallons of water, even if the residence in question does not use that much, according to the city’s policy.

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Mayor Thomas Ferguson said the city needs a study that examines how water and sewer costs are being distributed among users.

To which Urban said $150,000 has been allocated in this year’s budget for such a study.

“In order to have a defensible rate structure, we have to move forward with this study,” he said.

Ferguson said that like the last time Westminster analyzed the rate structure in the early 1970s, the city would again hire an outside auditing firm to conduct the study because the city needs “an independent objective piece of documentation to back up” changing utility rate structures.

“Water is now a scarce commodity, and we have an old-world rate structure,” said Council Member Robert Wack.

“There may be significant inequities in the rate structure, and I suspect the study will produce significant changes.”

Finalized increase

» Water: $22.32 for the minimum quarterly rate

» Sewer: $25.44 for the minimum quarterly rate

cmeister@baltimoreexaminer.com