Huntington adopts 2026 water and sewer rates after state-driven fee increases

The Huntington City Council on Dec. 17 adopted Resolution 4-20-26, which updates the city’s water and sewer rates for 2026 after the Castle Valley special service district raised wholesale user fees following a state action.

Council opened a public hearing on the proposal before adopting the resolution. A city presenter explained that the special service district’s change will increase amounts billed to the city and that the first-year pass-through to residential customers would be approximately $1.60, with higher adjustments noted for some out-of-town and outer-district accounts. “This actually come down from the state,” said an official during the hearing, describing the increase as a state-directed change. The presenter also described a planned reclassification of sewer service for certain 6-inch laterals that would create a new billing category for those accounts.

In the hearing, council members discussed options to reduce the immediate financial burden on residents; as a compromise, the council said it would not apply the city’s previously planned routine annual increase this year and instead adopted Resolution 4-20-26 to align city charges with the new special service district structure. The motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded and passed by roll-call-style “Aye” responses.

Resolution 4-20-26 was presented as an administrative measure to implement the new charge structure, with the council noting further rate-structure review for the next budget year. Officials characterized the dollar figures cited at the hearing as approximate; the council directed staff to return with any clarifications needed for residents and to publish the final rate schedule when available.

The resolution takes effect for the 2026 billing year; staff said they will notify customers of the changes and publish the adopted rates on the city website.