Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Resident challenges Milton’s water base charge after meter size change; council, staff offer options
Summary
A Milton resident told the council his household’s base water charge rose from $40 to about $147 after a 3/4‑inch meter was replaced with a 1‑inch meter; staff said the size is sometimes required for large service or sprinkler systems and offered to work with the resident on a meter swap; council discussed whether to revisit the 2023 rate study.
Milton, Wash. — During public comment at the June 2 Milton City Council meeting, resident Clay Howard said his household’s monthly base water rate jumped from $40 to “almost a hundred and 47” after moving into a house with a 1‑inch meter, a change he said increased the base charge by 270% even though his water use did not increase.
“My new home has a 1 inch meter instead of a 3 quarter inch meter, And that 1 change raised our monthly base water rate from $40 to almost a hundred and 47, which is a 270% increase. Just because of the meter size, not our actual usage,” Howard told the council.
Howard said he and his wife reviewed the city’s 2023 water rate study and compared base charges across 15 nearby public water…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
