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Lander council approves 7% water, 9% sewer rate increases after extended debate
Summary
The Lander City Council voted to raise water rates 7% and sewer rates 9% for FY2026–27, citing aging pipes, sewer failures and compliance with impending DEQ/EPA requirements. Council members debated trade-offs between current rate increases and passing costs to future residents.
The Lander City Council voted on June 16 to raise water rates by 7% and sewer rates by 9% for fiscal year 2026–27, after a staff presentation and an extended council debate.
Utility manager Lance summarized the proposal, saying, “We’re recommending the 7% increase in water and 9% in sewer,” and explained the increases fund debt service, address deteriorating ductile-iron water lines undersized for fire flows, and pay for failing sewer infrastructure and anticipated nutrient and ammonia treatment projects tied to DEQ and EPA requirements.
Council members pressed staff on details of the base charge, how consumption is measured for sewer (using winterized, off-peak flow), delinquency trends and affordability safeguards. Staff said the base rate covers debt-service obligations and that the 4,000-gallon baseline is a billing convention; overage is priced per 1,000-gallon increments.
Several council members framed the decision as an intergenerational trade-off. One member said he preferred to “be squeezed financially” now rather than leave larger bills to future residents; others pushed for additional work sessions to examine alternatives and to see multiple rate scenarios and associated risks before future votes.
Staff and council also reviewed customer-assistance measures. The city has a financial-hardship discount for households at or below roughly 133–150% of federal poverty guidelines, payment arrangements for customers in arrears, and utility monitoring tools intended to reduce accidental high-usage charges.
After debate and a roll-call vote, the council approved resolution 13-87 adopting the new water and wastewater fees for 07/01/2026–06/30/2027. The resolution directs staff to implement the new rates and continue pursuing grant funding and other external sources to offset capital costs.
The council’s next steps: staff will publish the new rate schedule, incorporate the changes in billing, and follow up with requested work sessions to show alternate rate options and project-level costings.
