Decatur council adopts water, wastewater study and advances rate ordinance after presentation

The Decatur City Council on Jan. 27 adopted a resolution to accept a five‑year water and wastewater rate study and moved a first reading of an ordinance to implement new rates.

Nugent Strategies consultant Chris Eckert told the council the utility operates as an enterprise fund and must cover fixed costs, maintain reserves for seasonal revenue swings, and reinvest in infrastructure. Eckert said the city has gone several years without a rate adjustment while costs have continued to rise and the city plans substantial capital work that cannot be covered by current rates alone.

The study projects average residential-billing impacts. For a low‑use household measured as 2,000 gallons of water and 2,000 gallons of wastewater, the…