Honolulu adopts multi‑year sewer rate package; city outlines CARES assistance, conservation outreach and integrated‑planning next steps

The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services on Wednesday briefed the Council committee on a multi‑year sewer rate package that city officials said was designed to fund operations, maintenance, capital projects and anticipated debt service while shifting costs to encourage conservation. Director Roger Babcock summarized the adopted package (Bill 60, which the presentation identified as Ordinance 205‑27) as a multi‑year rate plan that reduces the monthly base charge initially while increasing volumetric rates over time so that customers who use more water—and therefore generate more sewage—pay a larger share of system costs. Babcock said the current single‑family base charge is $77.55 per month and that under the adopted schedule the base charge will fall to $63.55 on Jan. 1, 2026 and to $48.27 on July 1, 2026 before rising gradually in later years to $73.92. The volumetric…