HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Water costs could be on the rise for some people across the Tennessee Valley. This comes after Huntsville Utilities officially requested city council members to vote on a water rate increase.

Huntsville Utilities (HU) says the 35% rate hike would fund current and future investments in Huntsville’s critical water infrastructure. It would be the first time since 2016 that water rates trended upward for the utility’s customers.

At Thursday’s city council meeting, the utility provided an in-depth presentation for city leaders regarding the reasoning behind the rate hike request. However, for the increase to become a reality, it would require a majority vote among council members.

HU says inflation along with the rising cost of labor and materials are some of the reasons they’re asking for this increase. This is all part of a 20-year master water plan that will contribute to system upgrades while working to address the growing population.

If city leaders were to vote in favor of the request, average households could see an estimated increase of about $6.40 on their monthly water bills.

Wes Kelley, the CEO of Huntsville Utilities was asked what people could be getting out of paying more for their water. He says when it comes to reliability and resiliency, they want to ensure their water system never fails those at home.

“The most important thing we get by investing in our water system is the opportunity not to worry about our water system, water quality is critical to the health and safety of our community,” Kelley told News 19. “We want our customers to have faith that their water system is reliable and the infrastructure is strong.”

Kelley added that he understood the impact this could have on households stating rate increases of any kind was not the route the utility wanted to take, but felt it was required for its future plans.

Here’s a full breakdown of what those increases could look like for different households.

Although there wasn’t a decision made on the increase during Thursday’s meeting, September could be one of the earliest points in which city council members would then cast their votes.