Issaquah residents can expect their utility rates to increase in 2016 — and each year through 2020.

The Issaquah City Council was asked to consider increases to the city’s water, sewer and stormwater rates Monday night and authorized increases to each in separate 6-1 votes.

Issaquah Councilmember Joshua Schaer voted against each increase, citing added cost burdens to utility customers.

“Whatever you want to call it … it’s taking money out of people’s pockets,” Schaer said.

It’s been several years since any of the three utilities have seen an increase, with sewer rates going the longest period of time without an increase. Sewer rates were last increased in 2002; stormwater and water rates were last increased in 2008 and 2012, respectively. The ordinances for sewer and stormwater rates noted double-digit increases to the Consumer Price Index since they were last raised.

Water rates are set to see a general increase of 6 percent in 2016, an increase of 5.5 percent each of the three years following and an increase of 3.5 percent in 2020. The ordinance passed Monday also established a new “large user” category of customer for customers with capacity to use 200 ccf — 1 ccf being a measurement of water volume equivalent to 748 gallons — or more in a fiscal year.

Most of Issaquah’s water is supplied through city-owned wells, but the city purchases water from Cascade Water Alliance to serve the Issaquah Highlands and Talus neighborhoods.

Councilor Nina Milligan, a Highlands resident, noted that failing to increase water rates could become problematic if Cascade raised its prices over the next five years.

“If we don’t increase our rates to our ratepayers, we suffer from a deficit,” she said.

Sewer rates are set to see an increase of 6 percent in both 2016 and 2017, and increases of 5.5 percent each of the three subsequent years.

Stormwater rates are set to see a 5 percent increase in 2016, a 4 percent increase in 2017, 3.5 percent increases in 2018 and 2019 and a 3 percent increase in 2020.

The rate changes arrive after the city adopted a policy to evaluate utility rate revenue every five years. The recommendations for the rate increases from 2016 to 2020 came from an evaluation by HDR Inc.