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Cottage Grove council adopts amended fee schedule, cites utility shortfalls; average household bill to rise about $6.58
Summary
Council adopted resolution 2171 amending the comprehensive fee schedule to reflect utility rate changes: a 14% increase to the operations portion of the water fund, 5% to wastewater operations and 7% to storm drainage operations; staff said the average single-family household using 5,000 gallons will see about a $6.58 monthly increase.
The Cottage Grove City Council voted to amend the city's comprehensive fee schedule and approve utility rate changes as part of its 2025–26 budget package.
Public Works Director Faye Stewart told the council that the operations portion of the water fund requires a 14% increase to address a multi-year imbalance between spending and revenues. "For the water fund ... the operations portion of this, we need a 14% increase to rectify our imbalance of spending more for services than we were receiving," Stewart said. She said the analysis used the WaterWorth financial tool and that the water improvement portion of the bill that funds debt service and capital ($28.87 for the average house) was not increased. Stewart and City Manager Sauerwein estimated that for an average single-family home using 5,000 gallons the total utility bill would increase by about $6.58 per month.
The resolution (2171) also adjusts summer sewer rates to run from mid-April to mid-October and proposed a default summer usage for new accounts; councilors amended staff's proposed 6,000-gallon default to 5,000 gallons for new accounts and fixed sewer-rate customers. Council debate flagged concerns about the cumulative effect of annual projected increases and the impact on low-income residents and small businesses. Councilors emphasized the need to pursue cost controls, expand water sales volume and explore regional partnerships to spread infrastructure costs.
During public comment, residents raised affordability concerns. "14% in 1 year? Give me a break," said Chris Holloman, who told the council he feared the increase would push Cottage Grove rates above Portland's. In response, Stewart and the city manager explained the enterprise-fund structure and that the proposed increases targeted operations only, not the capital/reserve portions of bills.
The council adopted the amended fee schedule and related code changes by roll call vote; one councilor voted no on parts of the broader budget package, but the fee-schedule motion and the targeted utility increases passed.
