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Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer details $590M CIP, $100M bond and planned rate increases
Summary
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer told county leaders it faces capacity constraints and escalating construction costs and has a $590 million three-year CIP; the authority approved a $100 million bond and plans phased rate and capacity-fee increases, citing unfunded federal PFAS mandates.
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer officials told Beaufort County's finance committee that a sweeping capital program and rising construction costs require bonds, rate increases and partner coordination across municipalities and the military installations the system serves.
Charlie Stone, director of government affairs for Beaufort-Jasper, gave an overview of the authority's system, noting service to unincorporated Beaufort and Jasper counties plus multiple municipalities. Stone said the authority has identified 102 projects that together total roughly $590 million and noted that construction costs have risen sharply—using the Cherry Point wastewater-treatment project as an example, he said the design estimate rose from about $31 million in 2020 to a low bid of approximately $107 million this summer.
Stone said the authority's board recently approved a $100 million bond issuance as the first step in a phased financing plan that could total about $450 million in bonding across successive fiscal years. To support borrowing, the authority raised rates this year by roughly 9%–10% and anticipates a 5% rate increase for fiscal 2026, with further increases possible in subsequent years. Stone also described a three-year, phased capacity-fee implementation designed to reduce carrying costs for developers by shifting part of the fee from pre-construction to meter-activation timing.
Stone highlighted additional cost pressures, including unfunded EPA mandates related to PFAS treatment that the authority estimates could require approximately $100 million in upgrades. He also pointed to regional projects such as Perrysburg plant expansion and the Cherry Point expansion to address rising water demand and aging infrastructure.
The authority said it has secured grant support—about $4.6 million through Veterans Affairs for projects supporting military installations—and is coordinating with the county, municipal partners and federal contacts to align projects and leverage external funding.
Next steps: the authority will continue design and permitting for major projects, proceed with planned bond issuances and return to partners for coordination on timing, rate modeling and grant pursuit.
