Council approves modest water-rate increase; committee says changes protect low users

The City of Hays approved a set of revised water rates recommended by the water-rates committee after committee members and councilors discussed changes intended to protect low-volume users while increasing charges for higher use.

Chair (S1) said the committee — which included Tom, Christine, Dee and Lydia — "concur[red] with the recommended rates" and explained the city would likely implement the new rates on Jan. 1 after providing the legally required 30-day notice: "I think the new rates will probably go into effect January 1 because we have to give a 30 day notice." S3 moved to adopt the recommendation, and a second was recorded; the chair announced the motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Council members described the adjustments as modest. The committee recommended eliminating the unusual practice of including the first 2,000 gallons inside the base rate and instead using tiered per-thousand-gallon charges so that very low users — often fixed-income residents — would see limited or no increase while larger users would pay more. S4 noted that the committee discussed keeping rates favorable to Elliott Ranch residents but still addressing conservation and revenue needs.

The chair said the revised tariffs will be added to the city's tariff documents and posted on the city website once finalized. The council did not provide a line-by-line list of who voted for the motion in the public transcript; the chair recorded the action as carried unanimously.

Next steps: staff will file the revised tariff, publish the change and implement the billing changes after the 30-day notice period.