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Council debates moving water-tier breakpoints to encourage conservation
Summary
Council members discussed shifting tier cutoffs (examples: 0–2,999; 3,000–5,000; 5,000–8,000) to better target conservation incentives and examined whether billing software can support 1,000-gallon breakpoints.
A council member proposed narrowing tier boundaries to make conservation incentives more effective, suggesting lower breakpoints such as 0–2,999 gallons and 3,000–5,000 gallons. Janine, the staff analyst, explained the billing system records usage per thousand and said moving to 1,000-gallon breakpoints is feasible but would require additional work in the software.
Council members noted the distribution of accounts is concentrated in the lower two tiers so changing the cutoffs could shift hundreds of households into a higher-priced tier. One council member observed that “we've got 44% in that 0 to 3,099” and several members expressed concern for fixed-income residents who currently rely on lower consumption. The council directed staff to model the tier-boundary alternatives and show how those boundaries would affect revenue and customer bills in the two scenarios to be returned at the next work session.
