CRANBERRY TWP — Residents could see an increase in their sanitary sewer rates this summer.

The board of supervisors will vote Thursday on a new rate schedule that increases the base rate and consumption rate.

The base rate will increase from $7 to $9 per month for residential customers. On top of that, the monthly metered consumption rate of $8.48 per 1,000 gallons will increase by 50 cents, to $8.98.

The new rates, if approved, will go into effect in the June billing cycle.

Residential sewer customers in Cranberry have the option of paying a flat rate or being billed according to metered water consumption.

For the average home that uses 5,000 gallons of water a month, the increase will amount to $4.50 more per bill, said Vanessa Gleason, finance director for the township.

Flat rate sewer customers will see an increase from $61 to $63 per month.

Gleason said township officials looked at sewer rates of neighboring municipalities and found they're in the middle of the pack.

The township hasn't increased the base rate since August 2011. The metered rate was increased August 2017, Gleason said. The flat sewer rate last increased October 2015.

The rate increase came after a comprehensive review of the sanitary sewer operations and organizational structure. Gleason said. Officials found that the expenses and revenue had risen steadily together. But in 2018 the expenses will exceed revenue for the sanitary sewer plant, so a rate increase is necessary.

Since the township merged with the sewer and water authority in 2001, it has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of accounts, said Jerry Andree, township manager. At the same time, there has been a decrease in average household water consumption among authority customers, he said.