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Norwalk council approves first reading of year-round, inclining irrigation rates to offset water-production costs
Summary
The council approved the first reading of an ordinance to charge irrigation meters year-round on an inclining block schedule — higher per-unit charges as usage rises — to help offset the city’s share of a planned regional water-plant expansion and encourage conservation.
Norwalk city staff and councilmembers on Feb. 20 completed the first reading of an ordinance to amend irrigation (secondary water) billing to an all‑year, inclining block rate schedule.
Jean (city finance/water staff) told the council that Norwalk currently charges an additional irrigation rate for two months only and reported that last year irrigation used roughly 81,000,000 gallons total. "In that [two-month] period there was about 20,000,000," Jean said, noting approximately 61,000,000 gallons of irrigation went uncharged at the higher rate. Jean said the city has about 5,300 meters, of which roughly 1,200 are irrigation meters (about 22%).
Proposed billing structure presented at first reading: 0–6,000 gallons charged at 1.25 times the regular water rate; 6,000–9,000 at 1.5 times; and above 9,000 at 2 times the regular rate. Jean said the change will not fully cover the city’s planned share of a Central Iowa Water Works expansion (the staff presentation cited a 160,000,000 total cost with Norwalk’s portion at 10,000,000) but would help reduce the need for borrowing. Jean explained that, on a 20‑year SRF loan at about 3 percent, Norwalk’s share would be approximately $695,000 per year (30-year loan roughly $500,000 per year).
Council members framed the ordinance as both a fiscal measure and a tool to encourage conservation. Councilmember Cool and others suggested pairing the rate change with outreach and incentives (e.g., soil and topsoil restoration programs, rain-barrel programs) to reduce irrigation demand and to help residents adapt. Jean noted staff may bring a separate availability-fee change for irrigation meters to the council later; she estimated that charging availability on irrigation meters could yield roughly $130,000.
The first reading passed on a council roll call (motion by Cool; second by Meineke). Councilmembers asked staff to coordinate communications and to report program options that would help reduce irrigation demand concurrently with the billing change.
Ending: The ordinance will return for a second reading and final adoption at a future council meeting; staff will develop communications and explore complementary conservation incentives and possible availability‑fee adjustments.
