Parkersburg City Council members will have to make a tough decision in the future when they will vote on a Parkersburg Utility Board request for a water rate increase. PUB manager Eric Bennett and city bond attorney John Stump spoke at Tuesday evening’s council meeting, saying an $11.19-a-month increase over a three-year period is needed. The water department is losing money because the city has lost population and fewer customers are using city water. The last water rate increase in Parkersburg was in 1994. The bigger problem is not so much fewer customers are using less water, but on June 30, the city will not be meeting the required debt coverage required by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. If this happens, it impacts the city’s bond rating — and its ability to borrow money in the future for any project. Stump compared it to missing a credit card payment. “It will stay on the city’s (credit) report,” he said. Raising rates is never a popular vot.