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Council approves phased wastewater rate increase effective Aug. 1
Summary
The Deer Lodge City Council approved Resolution 2026-R-12 to raise wastewater rates in a phased plan over five years, with the council reporting a 5–1 vote and absences noted; councilors and staff clarified billing timing and effective date.
The Deer Lodge City Council voted to approve Resolution 2026-R-12, a five-year plan to raise wastewater rates that varies by whether a customer is in town or out of town and by pipe size. The chair said the increases include a larger rise this year and next, followed by smaller increases over the remaining years, and that the new rates take effect on Aug. 1.
"Effective August 1," the chair stated during the meeting while clarifying how monthly billing will reflect the change. Council members then moved the resolution, recorded a second, and took a roll-call vote. The tally read at the meeting was 5 ayes, 1 nay and 2 absent; the chair declared the motion passed.
The council and staff noted that bills mailed at the end of July will not reflect the new rates and that customers will see the adjustment on the next billing cycle at the end of August. The resolution follows months of prior presentations from Water Works staff and is part of a coordinated set of utility-rate adjustments the council considered during the special meeting.
