Casper council reviews steep multi‑year utility increases; staff to bring formal rate resolutions next week

City staff laid out multi‑year rate recommendations for Casper’s utilities on Dec. 9, asking council to weigh near‑term increases against decades of deferred capital needs and to give direction so staff can present formal resolutions at the next business meeting.

Interim Public Services Director William Beamer and utility managers presented separate proposals for refuse, water and sewer. For refuse, staff proposed modest increases — a 3% increase in residential refuse rates for both 2026 and 2027 — and recommended eliminating a historical 30% out‑of‑county surcharge to equalize tipping fees and leverage regional volume to keep rates lower. For the Belfield landfill, staff proposed no increase in January 2026 and a 3% increase in 2027.

Water staff described aging infrastructure (more than two million linear feet of mains, many cast‑iron sections) and recommended moving toward a 100‑year replacement cycle (roughly 1% of system per year), which would require substantial annual capital (staff estimated approximately $7–8 million). To align revenues with that work without the current 1¢ general‑fund subsidy (about $2.175M/year), staff proposed an 8% rate increase as a scenario; with continued 1¢ subsidy the required rate increases would be smaller.

Sewer staff presented a phased approach to move from a 200‑ or 150‑year replacement schedule toward a 100‑year replacement cycle for the collection system. That modeling produced a recommended 34% increase for 2026 and 18% in 2027 (staff offered phasing options and noted the potential to lower increases if 1¢ funding is retained). Staff emphasized the proposed increases were driven by the need to stop deferring maintenance and meet industry replacement guidance.

Council debated whether to set rates for one year or two years, whether to retain or reallocate the 1¢ subsidy (options discussed included redirecting it to streets or stormwater), and how best to educate the public. Several councilors preferred setting rates for two years to allow more public outreach and to give staff lead time to implement possible tiered water rates. Council directed staff to prepare rate resolutions for the next business meeting, including a two‑year option and public education materials, and indicated general support for the staff recommendations while noting concern for low‑income and fixed‑income households.

Next steps: staff will prepare formal rate resolutions (refuse, Belfield, water and sewer) for the next council meeting, include public‑education plans, and present phasing options and scenarios that show impacts with and without the 1¢ subsidy.