Sewer Rates to Rise Gradually; Proposition Y Approved

Sewer bills are expected to rise gradually for many St. Louis residents with the passage of Proposition Y on Tuesday.

The $945 million bond issue passed with 85 percent of the vote in St. Louis County with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial election results. Fifteen percent of county voters rejected the measure. In St. Louis city, approximately 87 percent of voters approved the measure, while 13 percent rejected it with 99 percent of precincts reporting.

That comes out to nearly 63,000 votes in favor of the measure (85 percent) St. Louis-wide and roughly 11,000 against it (15 percent).

As a result, the sewer bill for the average single family served by the Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis (MSD) is expected to rise from $28.73 to $31.34 starting July 1. MSD has approximately 415,000 customer accounts, according to information posted on its website.

Voters in the county and city also approved a group of eight charter amendments aimed at conserving sewer district costs and updating antiquated language and practices.

Roughly 9 percent of registered county voters and 9 percent of registered city voters turned out for the election, which is expected to cost the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District between $1 million and $1.2 million.

The pro-Proposition Y group Clean Water STL had projected turnout of between 6 and 8 percent, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The bond money will be .

More about the sewer vote on Patch: