Baltimore Board of Estimates approves multi-year water, sewer and stormwater rate increases after public opposition

The Baltimore City Board of Estimates on Jan. 22 approved Department of Public Works proposals to raise water and sewer rates for fiscal year 2025 and adopt multi-year increases for fiscal years 2026–27, with stormwater increases phased in during the latter two years. The board approved the measure with two votes in favor and one abstention.

The increases approved would raise water rates by 3% and sewer rates by 15% for the remainder of fiscal year 2025, effective Feb. 1, 2025, and would apply annual increases of 9% for water and sewer and 3% for stormwater in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, effective July 1 of 2025 and 2026. Department of Public Works interim deputy director Matthew Garbark said those FY25 increases would produce an average 9.66% increase on a customer bill and roughly an 8.45% average bill increase in FY26–27.

The measures follow multi-site public outreach by DPW and a public hearing at which nine in-person speakers and several organizations urged the board to reject the increases or seek alternative revenue sources. “We would not be requesting these increases were it not absolutely essential to operate and improve the systems that we have,” Matthew Garbark said during the department presentation.

Why it matters: DPW officials told the board the increases are driven by compliance costs tied to consent decrees, inflation, rising project and emergency repair costs,…