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Beaverton council selects uniform water consumption rate after public hearing, 4-2
Summary
After a public hearing with dozens of public comments, Beaverton City Council adopted Resolution 4920 to set a uniform water consumption rate rather than a tiered cost-of-service structure. The vote was 4–2; councilors debated trade-offs between conservation incentives and bill impacts for large customers and HOAs.
Beaverton City Council on Monday adopted Resolution 4920, establishing a uniform water consumption rate and retaining fixed monthly meter charges by meter size, rejecting a tiered, cost-of-service approach. The motion carried 4 yes, 2 no, with one member absent.
Staff told the council the two options before them would raise the same total revenue needed to meet the water utility's debt and capital plans: (1) a cost-of-service structure that divides single-family residential consumption into tiers, or (2) a uniform consumption rate for all users. Susan Cole, assistant director of finance, described a 10-year financial plan intended to fund roughly $347 million in water capital projects through fiscal 2030 and said the city has used a Federal Environmental Protection Agency loan program (referred to in the presentation as a WIFIA/WIFI loan) as part of financing for major projects.
The cost-of-service (tiered) option would give lower bills to low-use households and send a stronger conservation price signal, Cole said, but would raise rates for large residential…
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