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Wichita staff recommend 6.23% water and sewer rate increase for 2026 to cover rising costs
Summary
Public Works Director Gary Janssen told the council the city recommends a 6.23% combined water and sewer rate increase for 2026 to cover growing O&M costs, lost wholesale revenue and additional staffing for a biological nutrient removal project; a formal vote is expected in early December.
Public Works Director Gary Janssen told the Wichita City Council’s workshop that the utility is recommending a 6.23% combined water and sewer rate increase for 2026 to preserve debt coverage, sustain a $900 million-plus capital improvement program and offset the loss of wholesale revenue.
Janssen said two wholesale customers — Derby and Valley Center — are building local treatment capacity and will reduce purchases from Wichita beginning in 2027, creating an estimated $2.5 million annual revenue shortfall and a roughly 400 million gallon annual decline in treated volume. He said the recommended 2026 increase (staff’s “Option 1”) anticipates those losses while also funding phased staffing additions at the Biological Nutrient Removal…
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