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Ocean Shores committee plans utility-rate reviews, adds stormwater COLA and fee-resolution project to calendar
Summary
Members asked staff about water, sewer and stormwater rate studies and agreed to add a CPI/cola review for stormwater plus a multi-year project to move fees into a single fee resolution for easier annual review.
The finance committee used part of its June 25 meeting to check the status of utility-rate studies and to place a stormwater COLA and a comprehensive fees review onto the budget calendar.
Staff said sewer and storm-studies had been returned but water had not been done; a request to fund water and EMS studies is planned for 2027. Committee members worried that establishing reserves for equipment and inventory might change whether rates need to be adjusted and asked staff to invite Public Works staff (named in the meeting as Ricky and Becky) to brief the committee on utility operations and reserve needs.
Separately, committee members endorsed a project to consolidate fees currently scattered across municipal-code ordinances into a single fee resolution. The change is intended to make annual fee reviews simpler and to avoid amending code for routine fee changes. The committee agreed to add a CPI (cost-of-living/cola) review for stormwater and to schedule fee-resolution work in 2027 as part of the budget process.
What’s next: Finance staff will follow up by requesting presentations from Public Works on stormwater operations and by scheduling the fee-resolution project and CPI review on the calendar before revenue projections are finalized.
