Water rates in Laredo will be going up this year and for the foreseeable future so as to pay for the expansion of the city's wastewater capacity. City Council took the vote Thursday at a special-called meeting.

Rates for residential users will be going up over 5 percent each year, an extra $2 to $4 a month for most families, according to the city's hired consultant, Dan Jackson, vice president of Willdan Financial Services.

The average Laredo household pays $63.65 on water and wastewater services each month, not including taxes, trash pickup, etc.

This is significantly lower than the water prices in most other Texas cities, Jackson said. The average in Texas is $90.55 a month. Only Mission and McAllen have lower rates.

The same goes for Laredo's commercial users; their average payment is $187.03 per month.