FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Near the end of Monday’s four-hour-long City Council meeting, the panel passed an increase in water and sewer rates without a public hearing and no outcry from the public.

A much different reaction greeted the council’s proposal on adding a city sales tax earlier in the evening.

At the start of the council meeting, a standing-room only crowd was present for a public hearing on the proposed city sales tax, but most of those people had departed when the utilities rate increases were passed.

A number of people addressed the council about the proposed sales tax, but no public hearing was announced or scheduled for the rate increase.

An additional hearing on the sales tax proposal is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, March 30.

The water and sewer rate increases passed unanimously Monday, after the council suspended the rules to allow immediate consideration of the proposal on the same night the ordinances were introduced.

Councilman Mike Ford said during the discussion of the sales tax issue that he had objected to immediate consideration that night of the sales tax proposal, and was in agreement with Councilman Rick Kingrea not to take that issue up Monday night.

A unanimous vote is required to suspend the rules for immediate consideration and vote for final adoption of an ordinance introduced the same night. Ford could have blocked immediate consideration of the sales tax proposal, as he has done on several recent ordinances that then had to wait two weeks until the next council meeting for a final vote.

“It will be a 20 percent increase,” said James Gillespie, city administrative assistant, referring to the water and sewer rate increases.

The rate increase was based on a rate study conducted recently by the city, Gillespie said. During a recent finance committee meeting, Gillespie presented the results of the study, which showed an increase was needed to cover costs to provide those services.

“We will be lower for in-town rates except, perhaps, for Bay Minette,” Gillespie said Monday, answering a council member’s question about how the new sewer rates would compare with other cities in the county. “We will be comparable with other cities (regarding water rates).”

The ordinances passed by the council Monday which set the new rates provide for the amount of increases, which will be effective April 1, Gillespie said.

The ordinances also provide language stating, “the foregoing rate schedules for water and (sewer) shall be subject to adjustment, upon concurrence of the mayor and city clerk, according to fluctuations in production of water, delivery costs and annual revenue requirements of the city of Fairhope.”

A modification to the proposed ordinance was made on Council President Debbie Quinn’s suggestion, requiring that notice be given to the council before any such adjustments in the rate schedules would be made.

Editor’s note: Additional coverage of Monday’s council meeting will be in Saturday’s newspaper.