Keizer proposes stormwater rate increase as major drainage projects loom

Keizer staff told the Budget Committee on May 20 that the proposed stormwater rate increase is intended to support identified capital needs, including a wetlands enhancement project and a phased realignment and replacement of an aging storm drain system near Willow Lake.

Tim Wood, the citybudget officer, told the committee the equivalent service unit (ESU) charge would rise from $7.66 per month to $9.58 per month, effective Jan. 1, 2026; the increase reflects both newly identified capital costs and the expectation that the division will remain fully staffed in the upcoming fiscal year. Wood said the current ESU rate had not been adjusted since July 1, 2020.

Public works staff and councilors described a multi-year capital need on Willow Lake Road and adjacent courts where an earlier drainage system installed near private backyards had been built to standards that the city no longer accepts; replacement and realignment of that main is anticipated to be a multi-million dollar program phased over several years. Staff said one near-term wetlands enhancement project on the east side of Claggett Creek Park is out to bid and is slated for construction this summer.

Committee members asked whether delaying rate increases might risk permit violations or expensive emergency repairs. Staff replied that deferred maintenance could increase risk of sediment-laden discharges and regulatory enforcement, and that the scale of the Willow Lake work made staging and early funding necessary to preserve options for phased construction.

The committee requested a consolidated summary showing the cumulative impact of staff-recommended fee and rate changes across utilities on a typical single-family residential bimonthly bill and asked staff to provide that analysis at the next budget session.