Residents outside the city limits of Tulsa may soon be paying more for water

Turning on the tap might get more expensive for some Tulsa County residents. News on Six anchor Scott Thompson has the details on the possible 7% rate hike. <br><br>The proposed water rate increase will

Thursday, June 6th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Turning on the tap might get more expensive for some Tulsa County residents. News on Six anchor Scott Thompson has the details on the possible 7% rate hike.

The proposed water rate increase will not affect people living within Tulsa City limits. But it would raise water rates for customers outside of the city. The city council is considering a proposal to charge surrounding cities, like Jenks and Sand Springs, more for the water they buy from Tulsa.

Public Works officials say surrounding cities' charges would be raised based on how much water they use. If the measure were passed, surrounding cities would pay about 12 cents more per 1,000 gallons of water.

Public Works officials say the increase is necessary to keep up with growth in those areas. Public Works Assistant Director Mike Buchert, "They have more customers. We have to build more pipes to serve those customers. Itâ€™s increasing our costs so we're passing along those costs to those particular cities."

Buchert says how much this rate hike will effect the people living in those surrounding areas will depend on those individual cities. Individual homes not within city limits on Tulsa city water will see about a 50-cent increase in their meter charges.

This measure is only up for discussion. It will not be decided for another couple of weeks.