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Liberty council adopts 2025 utility rates; average residential bill rises about $6 in May
Summary
After a required public hearing, the Liberty City Council approved 2025 water, wastewater and solid-waste rates that raise the average residential customer bill roughly $6.03 per month effective May 2025; measures to maintain senior discounts were retained.
The Liberty City Council on April 14 adopted new utility rates for 2025 that the city says will increase the average residential monthly bill by about $6.03, effective in May 2025.
A city staff member told the council that Missouri state statute requires a public hearing on proposed sewer rate adjustments and presented the staff recommendations for the three utility categories. Under the proposal the city set a 4% increase for water (about $1.42 per month for the average customer), a 1% increase for wastewater (about 66¢), and a 19.5% increase for solid waste (about $3.93). The staff said those changes bring an average monthly residential bill from roughly $123.00 to about $129.02.
The increases reflect several drivers, the presenter said: fixed and variable costs at the water and wastewater treatment plants, a recently renegotiated contract with Republic Services for sanitation, and overall cost pressures measured by the 2024 consumer price index. The staff presentation noted the city’s 2025 “average customer” uses about 4,340 gallons of water and about 3,900 gallons of wastewater monthly; the stated per-customer figures were calculated from that usage profile.
The council opened and then closed the required public hearing after no members of the public came forward to speak. The council waived the usual rules to consider the ordinances on first reading and then voted to approve the water and wastewater ordinances and the solid-waste resolution. The motions passed unanimously and were approved by the mayor.
The city will keep existing utility-assistance programs, the presentation said: a 15% discount on water and wastewater rates for qualifying seniors and citizens with special needs (an income-based program tied to the state property tax credit program), and a 50% discount on the solid-waste portion of the utility bill for residents age 65 and older. The staff noted that of the city’s approximately 9,726 trash customers, about 2,179 were age 65 or older.
Council members did not receive substantive public comment at the hearing and raised no motions to alter the recommended percentages. The ordinances and resolution passed by the required vote and carry the effective date described by staff.
The council’s approval completes the statutorily required hearing step for sewer rates and implements the staff-recommended increases for water, wastewater and sanitation for 2025; the city will notify customers through bill inserts, the city comment line, and online channels about the changes and available assistance.
