Several utility rate increases and other fiscal ordinances that faced public opposition at April’s regular meeting were approved by the Sulphur City Council on Monday.

Decisions regarding water, sewer and trash collection fees, next year’s budget, and a mayoral race were on the docket for the regular May meeting. These items were introduced in April. During the introductions, community members questioned the rate increases because of the city’s water quality, with one saying rates should not be increased for “water people can’t drink.”

This year’s increases totaled $3.75: a 7.5 percent water increase, a 4.4 percent garbage increase, a 6.9 percent capital recovery fee increase and a 1.6 percent sewer increase. This is two dollars less than last year’s increases, which totaled $5.75, the American Press reported last year.

Sulphur Director of Finance Jennifer Thorn told the American Press that a water increase had to be approved for the city to retain a $5 million water sector grant funding Sulphur’s current water improvement projects.

The 2022 grant from the state Office of Community Development Water Sector Program required a water rate study. Since this rate study indicated that the city needed to raise rates by 7.5 percent, the City of Sulphur is required to implement the recommended increase. If the rates weren’t approved on Monday, Sulphur would have been legally required to return the $1.8 million the city has already received and forgo the remaining dollars, she said.

The grant will support the Sulphur North Water Treatment Plant improvement projects, which include the removal and replacement of manganese greensand pressure filters, and the Sulphur Verdine Water Treatment Plant phase three improvements.

Thorn said the city’s preference was not to increase rates, but it is “important that the public utility fund pays for itself. Looking forward, the city plans to get water meters. This move would level the playing field for citizens by allowing them to pay only for what they use, she said.

“We don’t like increases either. … It’s not fair when you’ve got a family of six with a pool and a mother-in-law suite all having to pay the same bill as the widow next door,” she said. “We’re working on it. … It’s going to take about $20 million to get there, but we’re working towards it.”

While flat water rates will see a 7.5 percent increase – $30 for residential inside and $60 for residential outside – other rate increases were not as high. She said she was challenged to “make the other increases as conservative as possible” to offset the high water rate increase.

The council also approved an increase to a home utility assistance program that offers utility discounts to qualifying homes; a $19,000 salary increase for the position of mayor that will be implemented for the term beginning in 2026; and the 2025-26 fiscal year budget.

Sulphur’s charter requires that the council be presented with a mayoral salary increase every four years, the year before the beginning of the next term. In May 2021, the salary increased by $8,999.86 to $99,000. This time around, the salary was increased to $118,000. This increase is equal to the salary increase percentages that city employees received over the four-year period, Thorn said.

The 2025-26 budget was approved with amendments. Major amendments included changes to the 2026 general fund. Expenses decreased by $452,053 for administration and $214,287 for police.

Street and maintenance increased by $222,495 for trash rates. Thorn said that this increase was necessary to account for an unexpected 14 percent trash rate increase from Waste Management the city was given, but trash collection fees for citizens had not been altered since being presented in April.

Only the $3.75 increase to Sulphur’s home utility assistance program was approved unanimously.