Tooele City confirms year‑two water and sewer rate increases effective May 1

Tooele City’s public works director told the city council at a work session April 2 that water and sewer rates established by ordinance last year will move to year‑two increases effective May 1, 2025, and appear on utility bills starting June 1.

Jamie Grandpre said the ordinance adopted in 2024 set a five‑year schedule for rates. For May 1 the culinary water base rate for a three‑quarter‑inch meter will increase from $10.73 to $11.50 (a 7.25% base increase), while usage tiers rise modestly (for example, tier‑1 from $0.77 to $0.78 per unit). The sewer rate for typical residential accounts (rate code 301) will increase 15%, from $10.50 to $12.08.

“Last year, about this time, we put the… ordinance… that said water rates and sewer rates,” Grandpre told the council, explaining the scheduled multi‑year adjustments and reminding the body that the ordinance anticipated phased increases designed to fund system needs.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the multi‑year schedule and the staff response confirmed the yearly pattern: a larger initial sewer increase last year (50%) was followed by the current 15% adjustment and then smaller increases (about 5% annually for the remaining years). The water increase is a steady 7.25% base increase across the five‑year schedule, Grandpre said.

No vote was required at the work session; the increases were previously adopted in the 2024 ordinances and the April 2 presentation served as a notice to the council and the public. Grandpre said the changes will be reflected on June utility bills and were included in prior public communications, including a city newsletter.