WSSC Water proposes $1.833 billion FY2026 budget, seeks 9.8% revenue increase; emphasizes lead-line replacements and customer aid

WSSC Water on Thursday presented a preliminary fiscal year 2026 budget request of $1.833 billion and asked the public to weigh in on a 9.8% revenue enhancement that staff said would raise the average quarterly water and sewer bill for a three-person household to $295.86.

The budget presentation, delivered by Chief Financial Officer Timothy Masar and Chief Engineer Ayad Mizzian and opened by Vice Chair Mark Smith, outlined a $715.5 million capital budget for FY2026, an operating budget of roughly $1.136 billion and a multi-year capital improvement program totaling $4.88 billion from FY2026–FY2031. Staff said the six-year CIP is funded principally with bonds ($3.3 billion), ‘‘PayGo’’ operating funds ($1.0 billion) and other external sources (about $570 million).

Masar told the commission the FY2026 request includes a 9.8% proposed revenue enhancement after management identified increased nonrate revenues and other adjustments that reduced an earlier 12.2% base case. He said those changes reduced what otherwise would have been a 16.2% increase if all new funding requests were included. Masar presented projected bill impacts as $8.80 per month, $26.41 per quarter and $105.64 per year for the average household scenario shown in the materials.

Why it matters: officials said the budget is built to maintain regulatory compliance, preserve a long water-quality record, and reduce…