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Council adopts sewer-rate increases tied to $13M wastewater upgrades
Summary
Finance staff presented a sewer-rate model incorporating about $13 million in planned wastewater plant upgrades; the council adopted Resolution 40‑26, which sets a 2027 monthly sewer rate of $58.95 (a $2.50 increase) and a 2028 rate of $62.45. Staff said additional multi‑year rates are in the packet.
The West Richland City Council voted to adopt updated sewer rates the city says will help pay for planned wastewater plant upgrades.
Finance Director Erin Gwynne told the council staff updated the sewer‑rate model using 2025 actual expenditures, the 2026 adopted budget and estimated revenue/expenditures through 2034. The model incorporates approximately $13,000,000 in planned upgrades and replacements at the wastewater treatment plant that staff said have outlived their useful life. Erin also said the model assumes the city will later adopt a convenience fee for credit‑card payments beginning Jan. 1, 2028.
Erin presented proposed monthly sewer rates that begin in 2027. She reported a 2027 monthly rate of $58.95, a $2.50 increase from the current master fee schedule, and a 2028 rate of $62.45, also a $2.50 increase. Staff said additional year‑by‑year rate figures through 2032 were included in the staff packet; the transcript records additional figures for later years in the packet but does not clearly identify customer classes or line items in the audio.
After no in‑person or virtual public comment, a motion to adopt Resolution 40‑26 amending the master fee schedule for sanitary‑sewer service charges was moved, seconded and passed by voice vote.
The adopted rates are intended to fund the wastewater treatment plant upgrade program described in the staff report; any future budget amendments required to spend beyond appropriations would return to council for approval.
