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Middleton committee recommends 3% water-rate increase to Common Council
Summary
The Middleton Finance and Personnel Committee voted to recommend that the Common Council approve a 3% increase to water utility rates for general, public fire protection and wholesale customers to take effect on the first billing cycle of 2026; staff said the PSC ultimately sets final rates and recommended future simplified and full rate cases be considered.
The Middleton Finance and Personnel Committee voted to recommend that the Common Council adopt a 3% increase to water utility rates for general service customers, public fire protection customers and wholesale service customers, to be implemented on the first-quarter billing cycle in 2026.
Committee member Speaker 3 moved for the recommendation and Speaker 4 seconded. "I move to recommend that the common council adopt a 3% increase to water utility rates for general service customers, public fire protection customers, and wholesale service customers to be implemented on the first quarter billing cycle in 2026," Speaker 3 said during the meeting.
Staff described the city’s recent rate history and regulatory process. "I do not believe our rates have gone up at all since 2021," Speaker 6 said, adding that the last full rate case took effect in January 2022 and that the Public Service Commission (PSC) is the agency that ultimately approves rate changes. Committee members noted that consumer prices (CPI) have risen more than the proposed increase and pressed staff about the timing of future filings.
City staff recommended considering a simplified rate case in a year to seek another modest adjustment and planning a full rate case in 2027 if needed. Speaker 2 said the city generally must wait five years between full rate cases and suggested the simplified case approach to manage incremental increases.
The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote and will forward the measure to the Common Council for final consideration and any PSC filings required under state procedure.
