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The Sioux City Council is expected to vote today to vote on an ordinance that would amend water rates for South Sioux City and Dakota Dunes.
According to the Sioux City Journal, the City of Sioux City entered into agreements for water service with South Sioux City and Dakota Dunes in 2002. The agreement with Dakota Dunes was amended in 2004.
The 2020 rates for South Sioux City will decrease by 7.3 percent, while Dakota Dunes' rates will decrease by 4.8 percent. The minimum monthly charge is set at $1,000 per community.
Sioux City staff calculated the 2020 annual rates based on a formula established when the agreements were made. The rates are based on a percentage of actual operational expenses from the year ending June 30, 2019, along with the amortization of capital projects identified in the agreements.
Higher gold prices are generating new interest in drilling in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
At least five companies are currently drilling for gold in the mountainous region, which extends from western South Dakota into Wyoming. After being under $1,400 per ounce for several years, the price for gold has climbed above that level in recent months.
F3 Gold, of Minneapolis, is funding an environmental assessment it hopes will lead to the approval of its plan to drill on Black Hills Forest Service land near Silver City South Dakota, which about 15 miles west of the state's second-largest city, Rapid City.
