Council votes for water rate hike, WonderLab gift shop

The Bloomington City Council gave preliminary approval for a proposed water rate increase last night. \nThe proposal, which would increase the average user's water bill by about $1.70 per month, passed 6-0-3. Council members Jason Banach, Patricia Cole and David Sabbagh opted to pass until next week's final vote before making a recommendation.\nCustomers with a three-quarter inch water line would see the $1.70 increase, while those with with a five-eighth inch line would only see about $1.50 added to their bill. Most customers with the three-quarter inch line currently see a bill of about $38 a month, said Mike Phillips, director of the Utilities Department.\nThe Utilities Department also proposed a $12.5 million bond that would allow the department to replace or upgrade aging facilities. Among the potential uses for the capital improvement projects is the construction of a new storage tank near Harrell Road and Moffatt Lane in 2004.\n"I hate voting for rate increases," said council member Mike Diekhoff, "but I think this is really important. There are a lot of things that are useful projects that they're doing, and I think the citizens of Bloomington will win out in the long run."\nIn other action, the council preliminarily supported a $25,000 grant to help the new WonderLab children's museum construct a gift shop. The council voted 8-1, with Banach being the lone dissenter. The loan would come from the Bloomington Investment Incentive Loan Fund, which has provisions for grants to non-profit organizations to support retail operations, according to Nathan Hadley, executive assistant for economic development.\nHadley said WonderLab expects to see an estimated $120,000 in sales per year, and added that the new shop would have an impact on the downtown area. Citing a survey done by WonderLab, he said 30 percent of visitors to the museum planned to shop and eat downtown, spending nearly $60,000 a year.\n "This kind of investment in our community serves a significant public purpose by helping promote educational opportunities for area youngsters and promoting quality economic development for the downtown community," Hadley said. "It's hard to imagine a more worthy cause than this one."\nBanach said he wholeheartedly supports the organization, but was concerned over how much the city had already given WonderLab.\n"I love WonderLab and everything they stand for, but where do we draw the line?" he asked, referring to the city's donation of land and other grants to the organization. "I think it's time we move on and say 'Good luck, we wish you the best,' but there has to be a point where we draw the line."\nThe council will take final votes on each ordinance at next Wednesday's meeting.