Columbus council adopts phased utility rate increases after hours of debate

The Columbus City Council on April 13 adopted Resolution 26‑10, approving a multi‑step change to city utility rates and billing policies intended to fund a new water treatment plant and stabilize utility finances.

Staff presented a package of rate and policy changes that would be implemented in stages — an initial increase followed by scheduled adjustments in October, January and the following July — and include a tiered water volume structure, new billing examples, and low‑income base‑rate adjustments. Staff said the staged approach is intended to avoid a single large increase while bringing the utility funds to levels sufficient for debt service and operations.

“We’re really trying to start collecting more money sooner than later,” said the city manager’s office during the presentation, noting the plan captures roughly half the estimated revenue need in the first step and phases the remainder over subsequent months. Staff also described a new internal process to require leak notifications and timely adjustments so customers receive credits or adjustments promptly.

Council members pressed staff on how representative the sample bills were and whether the tiered volume approach would unfairly penalize large households. One councilor asked how the proposals treated “low‑usage” households compared with high summer users; staff explained the examples were chosen to show a range of typical summer and winter usage and to demonstrate the phased effect of the new rates.

Mayor (speaker 1) framed the decision in the context of rising construction and equipment costs: “The cost for construction materials has gone up; these are not numbers we pick arbitrarily — they reflect real, immovable costs,” he said, noting higher labor and materials prices for water infrastructure.

Council also approved a low‑income discount for base charges and changes to storm and sewer base rates designed to mitigate impacts on households with limited incomes. After debate and clarifying changes to the exhibit, Councilor Casement moved to adopt the resolution; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call, and the council adopted Resolution 26‑10 as presented with the agreed clarifications.

The city will publish the final rate tables and the schedule of staged increases, and staff said they expect to return with implementation details and billing examples correlated to individual account types. The Council directed staff to post the corrected exhibit and follow up with outreach to customers about the changes and any available payment or level‑pay options.

What happens next: staff will finalize exhibits, post public notices and begin phased implementation on the dates shown in the adopted exhibit.