CRANBERRY TWP —Beginning in September, Cranberry will bill residents monthly, rather than quarterly, for its sewer, water and solid waste services.

Duane McKee, assistant township manager/operations, said last week that monthly billing was the number one request from customers.

The monthly billing will give residents a more friendly way to budget for their bills, he said.

McKee added there are other benefits for both the township and customers including:

• Realigning the periods for water and trash services covered in the bills

• More frequent meter readings which can eventually be performed remotely

• More efficient assignment of routes for meter readers

• A redesigned and more user-friendly bill format

• Enhanced payment options, and an opportunity to explore alternative ways of processing payments including the use of credit cards and automatic bank account withdrawals.

The supervisors are expected to approve several ordinance and fee changes over the next several months to officially enact the new billing cycle.

The switch over to monthly bills for water customers also will coincide with a water rate hike.

Cranberry officials received notification from the West View Water Authority, the township’s supplier for its drinking water, that it was raising the township’s bulk water rates beginning July 1, McKee said.

Last week, the supervisors approved the rate increase from $4.86 to $5.09 per thousand gallons consumed to account for the rate hike.

The average monthly increase per customer will be $1.54, said McKee, who added the current rate is still below the regional average of $5.60 per thousand gallons used.

Sewage rates will remain unchanged.