OTTAWA — Ottawa city commissioners will vote on a proposed surcharge that could be put on Ottawans’ water bills. At their meeting Monday, commissioners put it on the agenda for next week’s meeting. City manager Richard Nienstedt said the $1.50 per month surcharge would be used to pay for certifying the river levees, according to a mandate required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If commissioners approve it, the surcharge would go into effect within a month and would end in about 15 months, he said. If the levees weren’t certified, city businesses and residents would have to buy flood insurance as if the levees didn’t exist – which city officials say would be unusually expensive. The new federal rule is a result of several levees failing or being overtopped during flooding in recent years.
Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2 p.m.
