Rincon City Council members approved a water and sewer rate increase Monday night, and they want to make the heaviest users pay more.

The base charge for the first 3,000 gallons for residential customers inside the city limits is staying at $9. For 3,001 to 9,000 gallons, the rate is going from $1.50 per 1,000 gallons to $1.75 per 1,000 gallons. Residential customers outside the city limits will pay $14 for the 3,000 gallon base rate, up from $13. Their rates for 3,001 to 9,000 gallons are rising from $2.25 to $2.75 per 1,000 gallons.

Residential customers using more than 45,000 gallons a month will be charged $4 per 1,000 if they live in the city limits and $4.25 per 1,000 gallons if they live outside the city limits.

Council member Paul Wendelken said he wanted to see higher rates for such high capacity users.

“That’s the people who are burning us up,” he said. “We need to charge them more to keep them from using more. There’s no detriment to using more than that amount.”

City finance director Wesley Corbitt said the number of residents using 45,000 gallons of water per month is less than one-half of 1 percent. The average residential use is 6,000 gallons per month and most use between 3,000 and 9,000 gallons.

“That one customer could eat us up,” Wendelken said. “I’d rather see the higher users wind up paying more.”

Said Council member Levi Scott: “The big thing is conservation.”

City manager Michael Phillips said the city has not had a rate adjustment since 2003.

“We thought it would be better to do a little bit this year and a little bit next year, instead of one big spike,” he said.

Phillips also said the higher rates for users outside the city limits support annexation.

Council member Frank Owens said the city looked carefully at single people and elderly residents and how much water they use.

“But folks who have 40 acres and irrigate with drinking water, they’re the ones who are going to suffer the most,” he said.

Council members also agreed to establish a base rate of $22 for the first 3,000 gallons for business customers inside the city limits and $33 for business customers outside the city limits.