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Milton resident urges city to review disparity between 3/4" and 1" water meter base rates
Summary
Resident Clay Howard urged the Milton City Council to prioritize correcting what he described as a disparity in base charges between 3/4-inch and 1-inch residential water meters, saying the difference can cost about $6,286 over six years for households required to have a 1-inch meter for fire suppression.
Clay Howard, a Milton resident, told the City Council during the Aug. 4 public-comment period that a disparity in base charges between 3/4-inch and 1-inch residential water meters imposes a substantial cost on homeowners who are required to have a larger meter because of fire-suppression systems.
Howard said he and his wife learned their home requires a 1-inch meter and that the higher base charge for the larger meter is intended to discourage unnecessary upsizing. He said "we calculated the financial impact over the full 6 years covered by the current rate structure... A 6 year base rate cost comparison from 2023 to 2028, a 3 quarter inch meter costs $2,845. A 1 inch meter at current rate is $10,554. A 1 inch meter, if billed at 1.5 times the 3 quarter inch rate, which is in line with the AWWA guidelines, would be $4,668. So the difference is $6,286." Howard added the family is not opposed to infrastructure investment but urged the city to prioritize equity when the next comprehensive rate study is performed.
Howard said he was told by Director Madden that changes to base rates can only be implemented through a full rate study, and the city does not schedule another full rate study for four years. Howard said he was disappointed that the acknowledged imbalance cannot be addressed sooner and asked the council to "make it a priority when the next study is conducted." No formal council action was taken; his remarks were part of the public-comment period.
(Reporting note: costs and computations are Howard's presentation to the council and were provided during public comment. The council did not adopt any rate changes at this meeting.)
