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Council adopts tiered water rates; irrigation‑only meters to pay the higher tier under new ordinance
Summary
After a split council debate about fairness and conservation, Goldsboro adopted a tiered water-rate ordinance that places separately metered irrigation taps at the higher residential tier to encourage conservation; the council recorded the vote as passed in the minutes.
The council considered whether separately metered irrigation taps — customers who pay for a separate irrigation connection and thus do not incur sewer charges on that water — should be billed at the lower first tier or the higher second tier in a newly adopted tiered-rate structure.
Staff recommended the higher tier, arguing that irrigation is a discretionary, nonessential water use and that irrigation-only meters already avoid sewer charges; the recommended approach is intended to encourage conservation and to maintain equity across residential users. Staff provided a worked example showing that a 1,000‑gallon irrigation usage at the higher tier would cost roughly $26 in water charges compared with about $24 at the lower tier (differences driven by volumetric rates).
Council discussion split: some members viewed irrigation taps as a luxury and supported the higher tier (to encourage conservation), while others said homeowners who invest in irrigation systems pay fees for separate taps and should not be singled out. Staff cautioned they could not easily distinguish which irrigation taps are residential versus commercial without additional data and emphasized the change needed to be implemented by Aug. 1 for billing.
A motion to adopt the ordinance as presented passed; the minutes record the outcome as 'Motion passes on a 3 on a 4 2 vote' (as read into the record).
