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Storm sewer utility seeks $1/month increase to address aging pipes and lift-station costs
Summary
City engineers proposed a rate increase for the storm sewer utility from $8 to $9 monthly for a residential customer, citing undersized pipes, 83 lift stations and rising repair and electricity costs; commissioners asked how transfers to the general fund interact with utility rates.
Rob Hasey, the storm sewer utility engineer, briefed commissioners on system scale and proposed a 12.5% rate increase to preserve revenue adequacy.
Hasey said the system includes roughly 535 miles of storm sewer piping, 14,000 inlets, 10,375 manholes and 83 lift stations; lift stations are energy-intensive and some pumps handle tens of thousands of gallons per minute.
"We have 535 miles of storm sewer piping, 14,000 inlets, 10,375 manholes, 83 lift stations," Hasey said, underscoring the scale of maintenance responsibilities.
He recommended a rate change that would raise the monthly residential storm-sewer charge from $8 to $9, and described that change as part of a revenue-adequacy review that matches expected expenditures (staff, repairs, capital replacement, emergency response) against anticipated income.
Commissioners questioned transfers from utilities to the general fund and whether rate adjustments primarily fund utility capital or are intended to fund broader general-fund needs; staff said transfers are statutorily limited (the commission may take up to 20% per existing guidelines) and the intent is to restore utility balance so sales tax can return to street reconstruction priorities.
The commission did not vote on the proposal; staff will return with modeling and a more granular breakdown of transfer and capital assumptions.
