MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The City of Marquette has adopted its Fiscal Year 2027 budget, with higher utility rates anticipated for residents in the near future.
At a meeting Monday evening, city commissioners voted 7-0 to pass the $26.8 million general fund plan, under a total city budget of around $97 million dollars. This year for Marquette city residents, it’s expected that the average total utility bill will increase around $99 annually.
City Manager Karen Kovacs says this comes after a rate study projected higher infrastructure needs around the community, with a long list of oncoming projects.
“We’ve done infrastructure improvements enough to keep things going, but we wanted to be ahead of that replacement schedule,” she explained. “We’ve needed to take a break to build up our reserves and pay down some debt, which we were able to do in the past few years. So this year, we’re looking at $11.7 million in infrastructure projects.”
Those increases are expected to rise about $60 in water & sewer utilities, and close to $30 in sanitation costs annually. For more information regarding the city’s FY 2027 budget, visit marquettemi.gov.
