ZELIENOPLE — Council leaders agreed Monday night to raise water rates by 3% in their preliminary budget for next year.

Council will confirm this increase Dec. 12, along with other line items in the 2023 budget, if no changes are made to the preliminary draft. Residents will likely begin paying more for water use in March, borough manager Don Pepe said.

Residents will experience no increase with the rates they pay for electricity, Pepe said.

“There’s no increases in other aspects of the taxes,” Pepe told the council. “We haven’t raised the water rates in quite some time. And we are again looking at a 3% water rate coming from Beaver Falls this year.”

The Beaver Falls Water Authority, which sells water to Zelienople for residents’ use, raised its rates by 3% this past winter, according to the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority website.

A portion of this story is shared with you as a digital media exclusive. To read the full story and support our local, independent newsroom, please subscribe at butlereagle.com.