A consultant is recommending that Farrell council raise sewer fees by an average of about $4 every two months to pay for increasing administration costs and a jump in debt payments.

Dan Goncz also encouraged council to change the way bills for industrial firms are tabulated to make them more fair with others.

Goncz, of Gannett Fleming Inc., Pittsburgh, recommended raising the flat rate, which covers administration and debt payments, to $16.91 from $13.63 for each EDU, or equivalent dwelling unit.

An EDU equals 1,086 cubic feet of residential water usage.

He also advised council to raise the water-consumption charge from $1.34 for each hundred cubic feet of water to $1.40.

A cubic foot of water equals 7.48 gallons.

The average residential customer's bill would increase from $28.18 every two months to $32.10, Goncz said.

Council must adopt an ordinance to raise rates, and the earliest that process could be completed is January, which means customers would not see higher rates until the March billing, City Manager LaVon Saternow said.

Council last raised sewer rates in 1998 to pay for a $2.1 million state loan to renovate and expand the wastewater treatment plant on Broadway.

Council last raised fees for operations eight years ago, Mrs. Saternow said.

Under the plan, industrial users would pay a flat rate based on the number of employees. Generally, four employees equal one EDU, Goncz said.

Under the current rate structure, many industrial users are paying the residential flat rate, which isn't fair either to residents or larger industrial users, Goncz said.

Others have paid a fee of about $2 an employee.

Goncz said most small businesses in town will still only be charged 1 EDU because of the small number of employees, but he didn't believe any increases would be substantial to large employers.

Councilwoman Helen Marenchin said her gut reaction was to vote against a rate hike. "But, that's just putting on blinders," she said, adding that a reluctance to raise taxes or fees contributed to Sharon's budget problems.

Under the 20-year state loan, the interest rate jumps in the sixth year, costing the city an extra $8,000 a year. The city will pay $207,300 in 2003, with the total sewer fund budget at $734,108.

The rate hike will bring in an extra $78,500 a year to the city, Goncz said.