BUTLER TWP — Customers of the Butler Area Sewer Authority will pay $3 more next month.

The BASA board Tuesday approved a rate hike, increasing the monthly amount for each building receiving sewage service from $33 to $36, beginning in July.

Thomas Rockovich, BASA executive director, said in an interview the increase is needed due to the authority borrowing $10 million this year to make improvements to its Litman Road plant.

“The increase is to cover additional debt service next year,” he said.

However, only $1.27 of the increase is related to debt service.

Rockovich said the rate hike also will fund improvement projects upgrading the plant and the pump stations.

The board, which has a vacant seat, voted 4 to 0 for the rate increase. Board member Robert Swartz recently resigned.

Rockovich said the board had discussed a possible rate hike for the past two months before voting Tuesday.

He said BASA researched the rates of other sanitary authorities in the region before the board settled on an amount.

Of the 19 authorities polled, the Breakneck Creek Regional Authority reported the lowest rate with a flat rate of $25. The Evans City Borough Municipal Authority is the highest with a metered rate of $80.

Under the $33 rate, BASA was the sixth lowest. With the new rate, BASA is seventh lowest.

BASA raised its monthly rate by $1 last year.

Rockovich said much of the facility upgrades BASA has done over the years was to meet state Department of Environmental Protection consent orders.

The DEP mandated BASA fix sewer overflow issues. The authority spent more than $40 million to address the problems.

BASA services nearly 15,000 customers.