Radford officials propose higher solid-waste, water and sewer fees as electric rates held for now

Radford City staff on a March budget work session proposed modest increases to residential solid-waste and water and wastewater fees while leaving city-controlled electric rates unchanged for now as officials refine wholesale power and transfer assumptions.

Craig (city staff), presenting the utility funds review, said the administration is recommending raising the residential solid-waste fee from $22 a month to $25 and increasing the city's dumpster charges by 5%. He told the council the $3 jump in the monthly residential fee would generate “an additional about a $100,000 in revenue.”

The proposal for water and sewer would raise the water charge for 4,000 gallons from $20.32 to $24.32 and increase the wastewater charge by $4 to $36.48, producing a combined bill for 4,000 gallons that would rise from $52.80 to $60.80, Craig said. He said the city’s combined water and sewer revenue under the plan would be about $6.69 million and that water sales would be “right at $3,000,000 a year.”

Craig said the electric fund initial budget does not include a wholesale power cost adjustment for fiscal 2026. He noted recent increases in purchase-power costs — “almost a $7,000,000 increase” since 2022 — and said staff will re-run wholesale power scenarios before finalizing electric-rate decisions. The electric fund currently includes a budgeted transfer to the general fund of about $3.9 million.

Why it matters: the proposed fee changes are part of Radford’s effort to shore up utility fund reserves and address declining net…