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Department of Agriculture explains water-wastewater rate dashboard contract to lawmakers
Summary
The Department of Agriculture described an intergovernmental contract with the University of North Carolina to develop a water and wastewater rates and financial data survey and dashboard; the dashboard will allow utilities to upload rates and compare with regional peers and median household income.
The Review Subcommittee reviewed an intergovernmental contract from the Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission with the University of North Carolina to produce a water and wastewater rates and financial data survey and a public-facing dashboard.
Debbie Dixon of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture explained the dashboard’s purpose: utilities will be able to submit current water and wastewater rates to the dashboard and compare regional peers and median household income, a factor that affects funding eligibility. Dixon said the dashboard was originally created with grant funding through a Central Arkansas water grant and that the current contract will expand the statewide data survey and public-facing rate comparison tool.
Senator Bryant asked how the contract ties into recent rate studies and sewer initiatives and how municipalities will interact with the platform. Dixon said utilities would provide rate data to be displayed on the dashboard to allow cross-jurisdiction comparisons and to help utilities assess eligibility for funding programs that take rate and income into account.
Committee members accepted the contract for review; no formal vote on the contract amendment was recorded during the discussion beyond the standard package-review action.
