Public commenter urges change to wastewater billing; city hears Board of Public Works and audit reports

A Lebanon resident told the council the city's wastewater billing method, which bills sewer on all water use rather than a winter average, shifts costs to residents who irrigate and could be depriving locals of purchasing power. The council also received an annual report from the Board of Public Works and the city's first GAAP‑basis financial statement audit, which yielded an unmodified opinion.

Public comment on wastewater billing Lehi Castellas, who signed up to speak during public comment, told the council the current billing method based sewer charges on total water usage and said that change — adopted after an ordinance in 2019 established irrigation meters — has increased sewer revenue by about $1,000,000 annually compared with prior practice. Castellas recommended reverting to a winter‑average (January through March) method or using the highest of those three months as a billing baseline so outdoor watering is not treated as sewer flow. “This method will avoid charging a hidden tax and treat all your…