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Wales council amends and adopts water rates ordinance, raising base rate and new-customer deposit
Summary
The council voted to adopt amendments to ordinance 20-26-02 to raise the base monthly water rate from $47 to $50, set the annual escalator to $2 (from $1.50), and increase the new-customer deposit from $35 to $100; council also removed language allowing modification by resolution.
The Wales Town Council voted unanimously to adopt amendments to ordinance 20-26-02 governing water rates and fees after reviewing a staff draft and agreeing several edits.
Council members agreed to raise the base monthly minimum water rate from $47 to $50 and to change the annual base-rate escalator from $1.50 to $2. The council also approved an increase in the new-customer water deposit from $35 to $100 for future customers and removed draft language that appeared to allow the ordinance to be amended by resolution rather than by ordinance.
A committee member framed the change as part of a goal to “break even plus 20%” so the town can build savings for future water projects; that member argued that the $50 base rate would move the utility closer to that target. Staff noted the town has roughly $23,000 in the water fund, contrasted with approximately $350,000 in the general PTIF fund, and said the changes would help position Wales for future capital work and grant competitiveness.
The council treated the meeting as a work session to identify text changes and then took the formal motion to adopt the revised ordinance; the vote was unanimous. Council also directed staff to produce a redlined ordinance reflecting the edits for formal adoption paperwork.
Because the changes affect customer charges, staff said the new numbers will be included in a future billing schedule and the updated ordinance will be posted after clerical review and signature.
