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Resident urges Wilsonville to review utility rate structure for single‑person households
Summary
A resident told council the current fixed-fee-heavy utility billing is regressive for single-person households and proposed lifeline rates, stormwater credits, and more transparency; he cited out‑of‑city examples and a statute reference in his submitted materials.
A Wilsonville resident urged the City Council on May 19 to consider revising utility billing to reduce the burden on single-person, low-usage households and to increase transparency about fixed fees.
"The rate structure... looks like is very regressive, environmentally con counterproductive, and misaligned with the fairness principles," said Vikrant Selar during public comment, who provided a written exhibit comparing Wilsonville to other Oregon cities.
Selar said his monthly bill for a single-person household included a base fee of about $66, largely fixed charges that do not vary with low consumption. He recommended policy changes including a lifeline rate for verified low-usage households, stormwater credits for properties that mitigate runoff, scaling fixed fees by occupancy or past usage and publishing cost breakdowns for each fixed fee.
He cited examples from Eugene, Portland and Lebanon that use tiered or impervious-surface-based stormwater fees and referenced an Oregon statute in his submitted materials, asking the council to evaluate equity and compliance with state requirements for just and reasonable utility rates.
Councilors did not take immediate action; they asked staff to log the request for rate-plan review and indicated rate adjustments typically require staff study, public hearings and formal adoption processes.
