Sterling residents will be paying more for garbage and sewer as of May 1 and the city will see a major downtown street project later this year.

The Sterling City Council approved rate increases Monday for residential garbage and sewer services.

The solid waste collection charge was increased 50 cents to $21.25.

When answering a question from 1st Ward alderwoman Retha Elston, Sterling City Manager Scott Shumard said the new charges still would keep the city about level with other towns in the area.

The minimum basic user charge for sewer services will go from $14.50 to $15.50. The basic user rate per 100 cubic feet will go from $5.75 to $6.25.

There are no changes to the debt service minimum charge of $3 nor to the debt service user rate of 25 cents. The minimum charge will go from $17.50 to $18.50. All of those changes take effect May 1.

“This is making sure we are putting enough back for the future wastewater treatment plant,” Shumard said.

He said city officials will meet later in the week to discuss the new wastewater treatment plant.

Elston asked where the city was compared to other communities.

“We are creeping up because we are putting more back every year but we are still below the averages,” Shumard said.

The council voted to approve the fiscal 2027 city budget and Shumard said the city still is in good fiscal condition. Earlier this year, the council decided to move some of its excess revenues to purchase a larger evidence storage facility for the Sterling Police Department. Even with that money moved to capital expenditures, Shumard said the city budget still shows a surplus.

“We’ve got additional capital transfers this year, including for the off-site evidence storage facility. Our revenues still exceed our expenses by $65,000, as budgeted,” Shumard said.

The council voted unanimously to approve a proposed 2026-27 pay plan for all non-union city personnel, including the city manager. That plan represents a 3% general increase for all non-union personnel, and step increases of 2.5% for qualifying non-union personnel and 1% for the city manager. The pay increase will be effective with the pay period starting May 13.

Future City Council members and Sterling mayors, and those who are reelected, will be making more as well.

With Jim Wise, alderman at large, voting no, the council voted to increase the pay rate for the mayor and council members.

Currently, the Sterling mayor is paid $500 per month and aldermen are paid $200 per month. Those rates have been the same since 1996.

The new rates will be $1,200 a month for the mayor and $500 per month for aldermen.

“It does not kick in immediately. You have to be reelected or newly elected in order for this affect you,” Shumard said.

The city of Sterling will see a big, downtown road project commence later this summer, with the bulk of work being done overnight.

The council awarded a bid for updating two downtown sidewalks to meet ADA standards to BlueBird Construction of Rock Falls. The company presented the low bid of $191,171, below the engineer’s estimate of $198,484.25. The sidewalk intersections that will be redone are Second Avenue and Third Street and Third Avenue and Third Street.

“IDOT said if the city can take care of the ADA sidewalks, they would come back and resurface the downtown. IDOT wanted it done by June 1 to guarantee they would put this on the June 12 bid letting,” Shumard said.

IDOT will resurface .92 miles of Illinois Route 40 and Illinois 2 in downtown Sterling. That includes Locust Street, north of Fifth Street to Second Street; Second Street, Locust Street to First Avenue; First Avenue, Second Street to Fifth Street; Fifth Street, First Avenue to Locust Street, and Third Street, Locust Street to east of Fourth Avenue. The work includes cold milling, patching and designed overlay. The project is expected to take 40 days and start around Aug. 1.

“This will be work done at night, which will hopefully minimize disruption,” Shumard said.

With Elston abstaining, the council voted to appoint Andy Elston to the plan commission and to reappoint Christina Rodriguez to the firemen’s pension board of trustees.