Francesville to prepare for rate increase

The Francesville Town Council made the decision to begin the process of raising the water rate at their June 1 meeting in response to House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1002, which removes utility receipt tax. Board member Lynn Johns shared his thoughts on the matter, saying that he believes they should drop the tax and raise rates, but cautioned that they should be mindful of how high they raise it. After some deliberation on the percentage, the council ultimately decided they would like to drop the 1.4% utility rate tax and raise rates 4.4%, coming in at a total rate increase of 3%. Town attorney Justin Schramm said that the council will have to hold a public hearing about the rate increase first before anything can be implemented. A motion was made and passed to begin preparations for the increase.