Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Rates And Budgets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montgomery County Public Service Authority adopts FY2027 water and sewer rate schedule and budgets
Summary
The Montgomery County Public Service Authority approved the FY2027 water and sewer rate schedule and both the FY2027 wastewater and water budgets after discussion about higher county rates versus neighboring towns and the costs of serving lower-density areas.
The Montgomery County Public Service Authority voted Tuesday evening to adopt the proposed FY2027 water and sewer rate schedule and to approve both the FY2027 wastewater and water budgets.
Board members discussed why county water rates are higher than those in nearby towns before the votes. Board member Ethan asked whether the county and towns buy water from the same supplier and noted the county’s per-customer rates appear “more than double” what some towns charge. A staff member responded: “on a mile of pipe in town, you may have 1,000 customers. In the county, you may have 20,” and explained that lower customer density increases per-customer upkeep and capital costs. The exchange also noted a wheeling charge applied where town piping carries water through town systems to county customers.
The board made and seconded motions to adopt the FY2027 rate schedule and to approve the FY2027 wastewater and water budgets. The clerk conducted roll-call votes; each motion carried with affirmative votes recorded by the members on the roll call.
Why it matters: higher per-customer costs in rural portions of Montgomery County mean residents outside town limits often face higher water and sewer charges. Board members referenced customer counts as context — Christiansburg was cited as having roughly 12,000 customers versus “over 4,000” in county-served areas — and staff emphasized the role of system density and additional wheeling/maintenance costs in the proposed rate structure.
Votes at a glance: - Motion: Adopt FY2027 water and sewer rate schedule and other rates/fees. Outcome: approved (roll-call affirmative votes recorded). - Motion: Approve FY2027 wastewater budget. Outcome: approved (roll-call affirmative votes recorded). - Motion: Approve FY2027 water budget. Outcome: approved (roll-call affirmative votes recorded).
What’s next: Staff said consultants will present a system condition and capacity study at the next meeting, and the board agreed to hold the next meeting in August to allow time for those reports.
Quote: Ethan asked at the meeting, “We buy our water from the same place, right? ... we're more than double what the town charges,” a point staff answered by pointing to customer density and wheeling costs as the main drivers of higher county rates.
Reporting notes: The meeting record contains verbal roll-call confirmations for each vote; specific affirmative responses were recorded but individual board member votes beyond one named participant (Mr. Monts) were not individually labeled in the transcript.
