Marietta Board of Water and Light adopts $174.3 million FY2026 budget; no electric rate increase

The Marietta Board of Water and Light adopted a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget of $174,324,461 and approved related financial measures, the board said during its regular meeting. The board voted 7-0 to adopt the budget.

The budget includes no increase to electricity retail rates, a proposed wholesale pricing adjustment for the City of Marietta, a 2.5% pass-through increase for water and a 3.5% pass-through increase for sewer, and a $4,000,000 allocation for capital improvements. Board members also included a service proposal intended to raise pay for linemen and apprentices to improve employee retention.

Why it matters: The budget sets utility rates and capital spending for the coming year and funds personnel changes the utility says are necessary to retain skilled lineworkers. The package also establishes how the BLW will charge the city for electricity service and uses supplemental reserves to balance a larger-than-usual capital program.

Board discussion and financial context Patina, BLW finance staff, presented monthly financials and year-to-date operations leading into the budget vote. Patina told the board that for March the utility’s “total project was up by 1.1% over MEAG budget,” and that supplemental sales were down year-to-date by roughly 12% to MEAG budget levels. She reported the utility’s reserves at $28,500,000 for the month of April, down from $30,800,000 the prior month, and said BLW expects to receive roughly $200,000 more than budgeted from the upcoming year-end MEAG settlement.

Patina also discussed market and plant operations: the Wansley plant was taken offline briefly for a fuel (gas) leak and returned to service on April 10. She said the utility is tracking natural-gas-based market prices that are expected to remain above the MEAG budget for the remainder of the calendar year. Patina summarized BLW’s pricing position as roughly $46 per megawatt-hour for planning purposes.

On the budget specifics, a board member who chaired the budget review committee said the proposed FY2026 plan rose about $2 million from the preliminary budget and stressed the absence of an electric retail rate increase. The same member said the budget contains a calculation to establish a wholesale price for electricity supplied to the city and asked whether to include that calculation inside the budget; staff responded that it is already incorporated in the budget numbers.

Board members asked about developer contributions for infrastructure and how newly constructed systems are accepted and recorded; staff said developers build infrastructure and BLW takes systems in after a warranty period. The board also noted that some capital spending this year is being balanced with supplemental reserves to accelerate needed water and sewer projects.

Votes and formal action A motion to adopt the FY2026 budget, including the wholesale price calculation for the city and the personnel/service proposals, passed on a 7-0 voice vote. The board raised hands during roll call; the chairperson recorded the motion as carried unanimously.

Minor items and recognitions The board issued a proclamation recognizing Water Professionals Appreciation Week and presented it to water department staff. Eric, electric operations staff, reported that Marietta’s linemen and apprentices performed well at a recent regional rodeo, with apprentices sweeping the municipal division podium and several team trophies returned to the department.

What’s next The adopted budget will be reflected in BLW accounting and rate schedules for FY2026. Any changes that require City Council action (for example, formal wholesale agreements or council ratification where required) will be forwarded to the council per standard practice.