DYER | A public hearing on a proposed utility rate hike was postponed twice this week, keeping the town's three utility boards in limbo a while longer.

The hearing was rescheduled to 6 p.m. Aug. 5 in the lower level meeting room of Town Hall owing to public notice concerns and scheduling conflicts.

All the utility boards recommended rate increases this past spring, but the final decision rests with the Town Council. Among the proposals:

* The Water Board has asked for a 32 percent rate increase.

* The Sanitary Board's proposal would add an extra $13 a month to the average customer's bill. That money would largely go toward improvements at the Dyer sewer plant.

* The Stormwater Board's proposal would raise residents' monthly stormwater fee to $8.71 immediately. The fee would go up to $13.70 next year, and over the next 19 years gradually go up to more than $50.

The Stormwater Board recently suspended all engineering work on projects, save for the Berens Monaldi floodwall, pending the council's decision on how much of an increase each will receive. None of the utility boards has seen a fee or rate increase in years.

Council members already have indicated that the rate hike and user fee requests likely will be pared considerably. If allowed to go forward as is, the average town utility bill would go up by $35 a month this year alone, which is too much for residents to bear, Town Council members have said.

Residents are allowed to speak during the public portion of the hearing. The council then might take a vote on the increase once the hearing is closed.