Youngstown City Council approved a resolution raising the sewer rates for city residents by four percent a year for the next five years.

The money will be used for EPA mandated upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant that the city can't afford by itself.

Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown said the city first thought about an eight percent increase but realized four percent was more affordable.

The vote passed by a 6-1 vote with the only no vote coming from 5th Ward Councilwoman Lauren McNally. She says she doesn't like the way the increase is currently structured.

"Things change in five years," said McNally. "Two years from now, things aren't really going to change. We're still going to be sitting the same people around this table, the same amount of pull-down at the statehouse, or the federal house. But five years from now, it could be different and so locking us down for five years is just irresponsible for us."

The rate increase will take effect after the first of the year and will add about four to five dollars a year per thousand cubic feet of water used.

Also at the council meeting, about a half dozen people got up to speak on behalf of Fire Chief Barry Finley.

Some of them wore red shirts that said: "We stand with Chief Finley."

You may recall, the firefighters union recently gave Chief Finley a vote of no confidence. Mayor Tito Brown said he has no problem with Finley's leadership.