Just in time for the holiday season, some Butler County residents may find an unexpected bite taken out of their bank accounts.

For the first time since 2013, the Saxonburg Area Authority — the agency responsible for providing sanitary sewer services for a large chunk of Butler County — has raised monthly sewer charges.

Customers who are billed by flat rate will now pay $79 per month for sewer service, while customers who are billed by metered rate will be charged $19 per every 1,000 gallons used. This marks a 12% increase over the previous rate. Previously, flat-rate customers were paying $70 per month, while metered customers were paying $17 per 1,000 gallons used.

The new rates will go into effect with the billing period starting Sunday, Nov. 12.

All nonresidential and certain residential customers are billed by metered rate, while the rest are billed by flat rate.

The SAA said inflation has caused an increase in the costs of operating and maintaining its wastewater treatment facility. The authority also maintains seven pump stations and 140 miles of sewer lines.

“The Authority has not increased rates since November 2013,” wrote the SAA in a letter sent to customers. “Inflation has escalated over 30% since our last rate increase.”

Paul Cornetti, manager for the SAA, said the authority tried to hold off raising rates for as long as possible, but could hold off no longer.

“All supplies are up, wages are up, and the cost of living is up,” Cornetti said. “Sludge disposal is up, power is up, gas is up. Everything is up. When you take a look at other utilities, you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who has not had to suffer the same problem.”

When asked if another rate increase in the near-future is possible, Cornetti answered, “If you could tell me what inflation will be, I could answer that question.”

In addition to Saxonburg, the SAA provides sewer service for customers in Clinton, Jefferson, Middlesex and Penn townships. According to the authority’s website, there are approximately 4,500 customers in its coverage area.

The SAA urges customers who are using automatic payments to update their monthly withdrawals to account for the rate increase.