ASHEVILLE - The city is proposing $1.3 million in fee hikes for a range of services used by residents and visitors alike.

The increased fees and charges would be for things such as drinking water, stormwater system maintenance and fire inspections.

Fees make up more 35 percent of all money taken in by Asheville, just behind property taxes, at 36 percent. The total operating budget for this fiscal year, ending June 30, is $180 million.

Before passing the new fiscal year budget, the City Council plans to vote on changes to fees. That is set to happen at an April 9 council meeting starting at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

How will residents be impacted?

The most direct impact to residents will be increases in water rates and a fee charged to maintain stormwater systems, which deal with rainwater draining off homes and other buildings.

The annual water cost increases should amount to $6.60 a year for a "typical single-family household," with stormwater charges averaging an additional $1.80, according to a staff report by city chief financial officer Barbara Whitehorn.

She said raising fees pays for the cost of the services that would otherwise have to be covered in other ways, such as by raising property taxes.

Fees, she said, provide the "opportunity to recover the cost of services from those that directly utilize or benefit from the service where appropriate, reducing the financial burden of city services on taxpayers."

In some cases fees would go down, such as a $125 reduction in the daily rental of the city's 14 Riverside Drive facility. That charge for Monday-Friday would now be $375 with 50% off for nonprofits.

Here's some other proposed fee changes:

Water fees

Single-family residential: now $4.13 per 100 CCF (cubic feet)*

Proposed $4.21

Increase $0.08

Irrigation: now $4.95 per CCF

Proposed $5.20

Increase: $0.25

Meter capital improvement charge, 10-inch: now $1,707.44

Proposed: $1,741.59

Increase: $34.15

*100 CCF = 74,805 gallons

Stormwater fees

Single-family home, 225 to 2,000 square feet: $3.05 per month

Proposed $3.20

Increase $0.15

Single-family home, 4,001 square feet or greater: $6.69

Proposed $7.03

Increase $0.34

Grading permit, less than 10,000 square feet: $0

Proposed: $300

Grading permit, greater than 10,000 square feet: $0

Proposed $425

Development services

Fire technology fee: New fee that would add 5% to fire inspection charges

Small wireless facility: New fee that would be $500 for the first five sites, plus $50 for each additional site.