LEWISTON – The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to increase sewerage and system use charges by 18 percent and to review the rate structure in 60 days.

The decision followed a public hearing that took up a majority of the meeting.

Councilor Robert Reed expressed concern that the minimum cost could be too high and said that bills might not reflect actual use by residents.

He asked Department of Public Services Deputy Director Kevin Gagne and Director Dave Jones if there was a possibility that some residents, namely the elderly and low-income families, could be using less than the minimum and could be charged less.

“If you’ve got 1,900 people that are paying more than they should for their service, I don’t know if that’s fair to them,” Reed said. “And I wonder if that threshold or minimum should be lowered.”

Gagne said charges are directly linked to what is read on a resident’s meter. He said officials would have to review whether old meters were registering lower usage than they should and needed to be replaced, or if residents are actually using less than the minimum.

“We meter water use and bill sewer based on the water meter. The minimum charge is to pay for those basic services,” Gagne said.

Resident Bob Foss approached the council in opposition to increasing the sewerage and system-use charges. He said an increase would harm his ability to provide affordable housing, because the added cost would be reflected in what tenants would have to pay.

“Eighteen percent may not sound like too much, but two or three dollars is two or three dollars and it makes it hard,” Foss said.

Councilor Thomas Peters proposed restructuring the fees charged to homeowners to evolve into a flat fee for hooking up to the sewer system and water and then applying an adjustable rate, depending on what one actually uses. He noted Central Maine Power Co.’s current billing method as an example.

In other business, a request from the Independence Day Committee for use of services for the Liberty Festival was passed with an amendment that a newly outlined and more itemized budget be submitted. Discrepancies over what was actually being budgeted for and missing figures fueled the motion. An outdoor entertainment permit was granted to the festival organizers.

Several local businesses were approved for special amusement permits for live entertainment, including Bocce’s Grill, Mexico Tipico and Lewiston Social Club. The Dawg House’s liquor license was approved, as was an outdoor entertainment permit for the Lewiston Farmers Market.

Graduating members of the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council were honored in a ceremony at the beginning of the evening. They received plaques and pins to commend them for their service.