The cost of a new water treatment plant project combined with the length of time since its last water rate increase force the city’s hand, Public Works Director Scott Fleury told the Ashland City Council during its Tuesday business meeting: rates must be increased. A rate study says a customer with a ¾-inch meter using 700 cubic feet would see an increase of about $7 a month next year and $8 in the following year, moving up to around $11 per month five years out.