Residents have the opportunity to give their opinion on a proposed water rate hike at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, and a council vote on the plan will very likely follow the hearing.

Exactly what the council will vote on, however, isn’t certain.

Last week, council members directed City Utilities officials to seek alternatives to the proposed 40 percent increase over two years, so the specifics of the rate hike could change by Tuesday’s vote.

Woodlan petitions

Tuesday is the deadline to submit signatures for or against the Woodlan school project. A remonstrance petition drive challenged East Allen County Schools’ approval of the $10.8 million project, which will create a K-12 campus at the Woodlan Junior-Senior High School site.

Opponents, including some high-ranking New Haven city officials, have been collecting signatures on blue petition forms, while project supporters are collecting signatures on yellow forms.

EACS Superintendent Karyle Green said she believed the petition drive on behalf of the project was going well, but that she had no way to gauge the opponents’ efforts.

An $11.9 million project to create a K-12 campus at Heritage Junior-Senior High School also is facing a remonstrance petition challenge, prompting a second dueling petition drive.

The school board voted to put a proposed $88.7 million project in the Harding and New Haven schools area directly before voters, however. If approved in a referendum at the May 8 primary election, the project would fall outside of the property tax-cap limits.

EACS officials approved the district redesign project, including the K-12 campuses, after months of community discussions. Earlier attempts to consolidate high schools in the sprawling district have ended with board members being voted out of office and the community high schools left in place.

State of the City

Mayor Tom Henry will give his annual State of the City address on Wednesday. The event will take place in the auditorium of the downtown library and is open to the public.