Ann Peuser, owner of Clinton Parkway Nursery, 4900 Clinton Parkway, waters a bed of annuals Monday afternoon. The city commission is scheduled to approve a 5 percent rate hike for water usage Tuesday evening...

It is about more than just your taxes. When city commissioners meet tonight to finalize the 2008 budget, they’ll also be increasing several fees that Lawrence residents must pay.

Monthly sewer bills are expected to increase by about 6 percent, water bills by about 5 percent and trash collection fees by about 4 percent.

The fee increases are on top of a proposed property tax increase of 0.425 mill. City commissioners are still looking for ways to eliminate the property tax increase, but the fee increases look certain to go through.

“Anytime you talk about fees, you have to look at the quality of service that we’re providing,” said Commissioner Mike Amyx, who is among the commissioners looking to avoid the property tax increase. “It costs money to provide the quality of service that we do.”

The fee increases will cost Lawrence residents a few extra dollars a month. Here’s a look at each:

l The combined water and sewer bill for a family using about 6,000 gallons of water per month would increase from $55.78 to $58.69. A family using 10,000 gallons a month – not atypical for people watering lawns – would increase from $85.90 to $90.05 per month.

l Monthly trash rates for residential users would increase from $12.19 to $12.68. The minimum monthly commercial rate would increase from $17.72 to $18.43.

In addition, charges for system development fees – also called impact fees – will increase by about 7 percent. The impact fees are paid by people building new homes or businesses that require a new connection to the city’s sewer or water system.

The one-time fees are designed to help the city pay for costs – such as plant expansions and new water towers – that are attributed to growth. The total impact fee for sewer and water connections are proposed to increase from $2,660 to $2,870.

Residents outside Lawrence may feel the bite of fee increases more than Lawrence residents. That’s because the city sells treated water to Baldwin City and several rural water districts in Douglas County. Staff members are recommending the wholesale rate charged to those large customers increase by 13 percent, as opposed to the 5 percent increase for Lawrence residents.

The city provides wholesale water service to Baldwin City and Rural Water District Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 13.

Scott Schultz, district administrator for Rural Water District No. 4 near Baldwin City, said patrons should expect an increase in water rates due to the higher Lawrence rate. He said he is optimistic that he won’t have to pass the full 13 percent increase along to customers, but he said the increase would be more than the average annual increase of about 3 percent.

Schultz, though, said he thought the increase from Lawrence was fair. He said the new rates are similar those the water district pays to Johnson County Water District No. 6.