FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Five consecutive years of water rate hikes are about to start in Fort Wayne.

The City Council ratified a rate increase request from City Utilities on a 6-1 vote last night. The Council had already given the increase their approval last June, but it still needed to clear the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, which it did last month.

The move will raise the average monthly water rate in Fort Wayne from $22.78 to just over $30 by 2023 in order to pay for $150-million in capital improvements, including $85-million in new pipework.

The Journal Gazette reports that Councilman Russ Jehl was the only one to vote “no” on the rate hike. Councilmen Jason Arp and Michael Barranda were absent.