Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Budget And Sewer Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utilities board approves 2026 utilities budget and roughly 10% sewer rate increase
Summary
The board approved the 2026 utilities budget and a wastewater rate schedule designed to raise sewer revenues about 10% for most customers; officials said the increase is needed to meet revenue targets and that individual bill impacts will vary by meter size and usage.
The utilities board approved the city’s 2026 utilities budget and adopted a wastewater rate schedule that officials said will produce roughly a 10% revenue increase for the sewer fund.
Speaker 6, who presented the budget and rate proposal, told the board the revenue target in the 2026 budget required a roughly 10% increase and that “the only way to get that is to raise rates by 10%.” The presenter said staff used example billings and past consultant scenarios to estimate impacts, but cautioned that exact changes will vary because meter size and customer usage differ.
The appropriation covering revenue funds, capital improvement funds and the water and sewer capital improvement fund passed on a roll call vote (Newlove, Jesse, Wagner and Susiek each voting yes). After the budget vote, the board considered and approved a wastewater rate schedule intended to align revenues with the adopted budget.
Board members asked questions about projected water and wastewater flows for 2026. In response, the presenter said sales projections were “relatively flat” and that large pending customers, such as Abbott, were not expected to produce a large increase in wastewater volumes because some industrial processes (for example, drying) reduce wastewater returns. The presenter said Abbott’s water use had been reported as under 500,000 gallons and possibly near 300,000 gallons, but noted wastewater could be lower because of on-site pretreatment or evaporation.
Officials underscored that the 10% figure is an average: individual bills will move differently depending on meter size, capacity charges tied to the water meter, and customers’ actual cubic-foot usage. The board approved both the budget and the rate schedule and directed staff to forward the budget to the city council for its next steps.
What happens next: the budget will go to city council for consideration; the new wastewater rate schedule will be implemented according to the timetable included in staff materials (specific effective dates were presented to the board but are not reproduced here).
