Kanosh Council approves higher water base rate, new tiered pricing in 4-1 vote

The Kanosh Town Council voted 4–1 on Aug. 13 to raise the town's monthly water base rate to $31 and to change the tiered volume charges, part of a package the council said is intended to stabilize the water fund and build modest reserves for future repairs.

The adopted proposal raises the base fee from the current rate (previously $21) to $31 per month and adjusts consumption tiers and per‑thousand‑gallon charges for higher volume users. Council members David Whitaker, Andy Grafton, Scott McDonald and Josh Whitaker voted in favor; Councilmember Neil Sharmoy cast the lone dissenting vote.

Council members and numerous residents spent more than three hours discussing the change after a public hearing earlier on the proposed schedule. Town staff and consultants told the council the town's water revenues have lagged operating costs and that routine maintenance, meter upgrades and longer‑term projects such as additional storage or equipment replacements require new revenue to avoid repeated annual shortfalls.

The ordinance the council adopted rebalances revenue across a larger customer base while increasing prices sharply for the smallest group of very high users. The new structure widens or redefines tiers and increases per‑thousand‑gallon charges progressively so that residential customers who stay near the base usage range see smaller increases while customers using commercial‑level volumes would face substantially higher per‑gallon costs. Council members said the steepest increases were designed both to raise revenue and to encourage conservation among the relatively small number of accounts that use very large volumes.

Council members and residents cited multiple concerns during debate: (1) fairness for fixed‑income households, (2) the timing and notice for customers, (3) the town's ability to read meters on schedule, and (4) whether the town should pursue grants or other funding instead of rate increases. Council members agreed to publish the new rates and an implementation date as soon as staff confirms the exact effective date; the council indicated rates will take effect at least 30 days after formal posting but staff said it would confirm the final timeline.

The council directed town staff to hand‑deliver letters to the largest water users informing them of their usage and the forthcoming rate change. Council and several residents said those high‑use accounts drive the majority of incremental costs; councilmembers said they plan a follow‑up outreach effort to those customers before the new schedule takes effect.

Town staff also discussed plans to modernize meter reading and to pursue grant funding for automated meters and other upgrades. The council heard that Clark Cook (a regional contact) had identified used automatic meter readers and that a limited number of radio‑read electrical meters were available from another municipal utility; staff said there will still be hardware, software and installation costs even if some meters are donated or obtained at reduced cost.

The council majority framed the change as a difficult but necessary step to make the water utility self‑sustaining, to begin building a modest reserve for repairs and to reduce reliance on transfers from the electric fund. Opponents said the increases are large and urged more gradual phased increases and expanded outreach.

The ordinance was introduced as a package (reference: Proposed water rate ordinance 08‑13‑2025) and the council approved the motion to adopt the revised rate structure by roll call. Staff said the exact bill timing and the implementation date will be posted to the town website and mailed to customers once staff confirms administrative timelines.

The council also asked staff to pursue annual or staged increases in future years (for example, a small, fixed annual increment) so the town can avoid large, sudden adjustments later.

What happens next: staff will publish the approved ordinance text, mail notices and post the exact effective date. The council said it will track meter‑reading performance, pursue funding for automated reading equipment, and continue outreach to very high water users to encourage conservation.