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Clackamas Water Environment Services proposes $225 million budget, small rate increases to sustain infrastructure work
Summary
WES presented a FY26–27 budget that increases planned capital spending and proposes modest rate adjustments to support renewal of aging wastewater and stormwater facilities; the advisory chair and committee supported the plan and the budget was approved.
Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) presented its FY26–27 budget and a multiyear capital plan aimed at renewing aging wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Director Greg Geist said the proposed budget represents a planned return to higher capital spending with a $41.9 million sewer construction program and no surprise large rate shocks. WES proposed a 5% sanitary sewer operating rate adjustment — an increase that would add roughly $1.25 to $1.50 per month for a typical household on annualized bills — and a 45¢ per month surface‑water increase. The adjustments are intended to cover rising operating costs and to continue long‑range reinvestment in plants and pipes.
Geist and advisory board members described WES’s 10‑year planning approach, including an SDC (system development charge) phase‑in strategy and steady 3% SDC increases toward the full SDC. They said the utility’s weighted average cost of borrowing is low, which reduces debt service pressure, and emphasized the importance of continuing steady investment to avoid larger future costs and regulatory risk. Public comment from the WES advisory board chair supported the budget, emphasizing the consequences of underinvestment.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the WES budget. Staff will proceed with the adopted capital program and the modest rate adjustments endorsed in the budget presentation.
