Spokane Public Works presented data Dec. 15 showing interactive, personalized programs produce the largest per‑customer water savings and signaled changes to how the city prices commercial water use.

City staff reviewed rebate activity since 2020 and the relative effectiveness of each incentive. Public Works noted that ‘‘toilet rebates are like a $100’’ while SpokaneScape credits ‘‘can be up to $500’’ on a customer’s bill. Staff said passive fixture programs (free or low‑cost physical equipment) generally yield smaller sustained savings than programs with targeted outreach and monitoring, such as SpokaneScape and the Water Wise Challenge, where customers receive coaching and set measurable goals.

The presentation also described the city’s current rate structures. Residential consumption is billed on a five‑tier, stair‑step system; customers who exceed about 45 units (one unit ≈ 748 gallons) face substantially higher marginal costs, ‘‘over … $2.30 per unit’’ in the highest residential tier. Commercial customers, by contrast, currently pay all consumption at a single commercial tier; staff said that most commercial accounts fall in the system’s top commercial tier and that the city will study subdividing commercial subclasses so price signals better reflect cost of service.

Public Works emphasized two policy lessons from the rebate analysis: personalized outreach and programs that change customer behavior (the Water Wise Challenge was singled out) are more effective than distributed fixtures alone, and changes to tier structure have amplified customer cost savings when usage falls. Staff said SpokaneScape is effective but ‘‘costly in terms of staff time and the amount of the credit,’’ and that the city will pursue a customer portal for near‑real‑time usage to help households respond faster to high usage.

Next steps: staff said the draft Water Conservation Master Plan will likely come back in the first quarter for committee and council consideration and that a broader rate discussion — including commercial rate alternatives and possible year‑round or seasonal uniform rates — will continue through 2026 to inform 2027–2028 rates.