Reacting to a 13 percent sanitary sewer rate levied by Avon Lake Municipal Utilities as well as an increase by the French Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant, the city of Avon approved a 3.6 percent increase of sanitary sewer use rate.

Avon’s finance committee met on April 23 to consider the increases sought by the neighboring cities and their services and settled on the proposed increase.

City council approved the increase at its May 14 meeting.

The current sanitary sewer use rate is $5.59 per 1,000 gallons and will increase to $5.79 per 1,000 gallons, or by a rate of 3.6 percent, effective June 1, 2012 for bills issued in July, 2012.

Finance director Bill Logan said sewer rate increases are passed along as they are received from Avon Lake and North Ridgeville.

Water rates increased in 2011, after Avon Lake implemented a three-year water increase plan for the communities it serves.

Logan said that water rates would also be increasing in August.

“It’s an 11.6 percent increase which results in about 31 cents per 1,000 gallons,” Logan said.

An average household using 64,000 gallons of water a year can expect a $20 annual water rate increase and a $13 annual sewer rate increase.

Residents get both water and sewer rates on one bill.