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County proposes 10% sewer use fee increase to fund plant upgrades and unfunded mandates
Summary
County staff recommended a 10% increase to sewer use fees to pay for aggressive capital upgrades at the Triangle wastewater plant, to respond to inflation and unfunded regulatory mandates and to maintain strong financial metrics for borrowing.
Deputy County Manager Maurice Jones and Jay Gibson, director of engineering and environmental sustainability, presented the sewer utility enterprise fund and a proposed 10% sewer‑use fee increase. They said the enterprise must support major capital investments at the Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant, rising operational costs, and debt-service needs tied to bond financing for ongoing projects.
"We are proposing a 10% increase in the rates for this fund to help bring in the revenue necessary to support our growing number of capital projects and to fund the debt service needed to pay off the bonds associated with these projects," Jones said. Gibson stressed that the utility faces inflationary pressures (energy, labor, materials), regulatory uncertainty (Jordan Lake rules and emerging contaminants such as PFAS), and aging assets approaching 40–60 years of life, and that planned annual increases are preferable to occasional large "rate shock." He compared local proposals by other jurisdictions, noting the city of Durham’s proposed 12% increase and Greensboro’s 11% as context.
Commissioners asked no immediate follow-up questions; staff said they would continue to provide information to the board and public as the budget process advances.
Next steps: staff to include the proposed 10% increase in budget materials and provide public outreach about the capital program and timing.
