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Falmouth residents shocked after some utility bills double

122 views · Published 15 August 2018 · 1:47 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2018 · News & Politics

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FALMOUTH, Ky. (WKRC) - The utility bills for many who live in Falmouth didn’t just go up a little; some say they spiked and it hit them hard in the wallet.

Katelynn Caudill lives in the city. 

 “It increased by 50 percent. I went down there to the electric company. I opened up my bill. It was $300,“ Caudill said.

The utility bills are bundled and include electric, water and garbage, according to city council members.

The rate caught many off guard. Devin Hayden says his mother's July bill was much higher than June.

Hayden said, “She is low-income. I’ve been helping her. My wife’s been helping her, and it’s been hurting a lot of people around here.“

Council voted to raise the utility rates because there had not been an increase since roughly 2006 and 2008.

Councilman Sebastian Ernst, who is also running for mayor, says the money will go into the city's utility fund. That pays for improvements to the city and its infrastructure.

“It’s something that should’ve been stair-stepped up to where we are now, but unfortunately we put it off for so long that we've got to do it,“ Ernst said. “What we are hoping to do with the increased revenue is to get those grants, because when the federal government or the state comes in and you’re asking for money, the first thing they do is look at rates. They want to make sure that you're charging what everyone else is charging.”

Ernst also explained that the June bills were only for 27 days of service and the July bills were for 33.

Another member of city council says that the issue was discussed several times in the local newspaper and that council talked about raising the rates several times in open meetings. She expects it to come up again at the next city council meeting, which is scheduled for Aug. 14.

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