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Social Circle mayor and council adopt utility rate increases and authorize revenue bond to fund water and sewer projects
Summary
The Social Circle mayor and council voted to raise water, sewer and gas rates effective July 1, 2025, adopted a five-year rate plan and approved a supplemental revenue bond resolution to finance roughly $65 million in water and sewer improvements, including a new wastewater treatment plant.
The Social Circle mayor and council voted Tuesday to adopt new water, sewer and gas rates effective July 1, 2025, approved a five-year rate plan through FY2030 and authorized a third supplemental bond resolution to underwrite major water and sewer capital projects.
Consultant Chad Cowan of Raftelus presented the utility rate study the city used to set the increases, saying the study models conservative growth, existing operating costs and a planned revenue bond to cover critical projects. "What we do is we look at your entire system... to help you all have a view of what's going to happen in the future if you move forward with the plan," Cowan said during the presentation.
Why it matters: the council authorized parameters for a revenue bond not to exceed $70 million (staff said expected issuance will be roughly $66.2 million) to pay for about $65 million in capital work, with the highest priority being replacement of an aging wastewater treatment plant. Staff described the new plant as initially sized at 1.5 million gallons per day and scalable to 3 million gallons; other planned projects include water-plant modifications, a Tower Road tank replacement to improve north-side pressure, watermain replacements, pump-station upgrades and expanded meter replacement efforts.
The study and staff presentation showed residential impacts will vary with usage. Officials said the staff attempted to limit increases for low-volume customers (those using less than 2,000 gallons per month), but examples given during the meeting showed typical combined water, sewer and gas bills for some households could rise in the range of roughly $15 to $55 per month depending on consumption and services used. Cowan and staff also provided comparative data showing Social Circle's base charge near the lower end of peers while some distribution charges sit higher.
Councilmembers debated procedure and timing for adoption because the rate adoption and bond approvals must meet financing-market requirements. Financial advisers and bond counsel said documents should be shelf-ready in January, with pricing targeted for February, and the council will be asked to ratify final sale terms if they fall within the parameters set by Tuesday's resolution.
Votes and next steps: the motion to adopt the rates with an effective date of July 1, 2025, passed on a voice vote (the record notes three voted in favor and Councilmember Jackson opposed). The five-year rate plan through FY2030 was also approved. The council approved the third supplemental bond resolution to authorize parameters and signature authority for the series 2025 combined public utility revenue bonds; staff said final pricing and issuance steps will return to council for ratification of the sale terms.
The council closed the business portion of the meeting and moved to enter executive session for real estate, litigation and personnel matters.
(Reporting note: figures and project lists reflect staff presentation; specific scope and schedule are subject to final bond pricing and available funding.)
