ACSA holds public hearing on proposed FY26 water, sewer rate adjustments

The Amherst County Service Authority held an advertised public hearing on proposed fiscal 2026 water and sewer rates and charges, and staff presented a recommendation that would lower a consultant-suggested increase to a 3.5% overall rate rise, ACSA staff said.

ACSA staff member Mr. Castillo said Davenport & Company had recommended a 9% rate increase with a $1 increase in the water base fee and a $2 increase in the sewer base fee, but the authority reduced the recommended rate increase to 3.5% during its budget preparation. “The goals that we had in part of our budget preparation was minimize the rate increases while covering inflation. The CPI was 2.9%,” Castillo said.

The authority’s staff presented sample bill impacts to illustrate the proposal. Under staff figures, the volumetric water rate would move from $6.22 per hundred cubic feet to $6.44 and the monthly water base would increase from $24 to $25; staff said an average customer using 4,000 gallons would see a water bill move from $57.26 to $59.43 and a sewer charge move from $59.80 to $63.56. Staff also said the proposed changes would affect about 6,600 water customers and roughly 800 sewer customers.

As part of its strategic plan review, staff recommended updating long-unadjusted fire-protection fees to reflect inflation. Castillo said fire-protection fees had not been addressed since February and that inflation over that period was 34.9%; his recommendation was to increase those fees by the inflation rate to “just to cover inflation.” Staff said the fire-protection change would affect 28 customers with certain dedicated fire-service line sizes.

An attorney at the meeting, speaking without a name listed in the record, advised that the statutory requirement for a public hearing is satisfied by proper public notice and that holding the hearing without a quorum was appropriate because the authority took no formal action at the hearing and the notice had been published as required. The attorney asked that that opinion be recorded in the minutes.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing, and the public hearing was opened and closed at the meeting. Staff recommended — and the meeting record shows the meeting was adjourned — to reconvene on Wednesday, June 11, at 6 p.m. There was no motion or vote recorded to adopt the proposed rates at this meeting.

The proposed rates and fee changes were presented for public comment and budget consideration; any final adoption or formal vote on rates was not taken at the hearing and therefore remains pending.