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Utilities director: stormwater and water pollution control are the major long‑term budget drivers
Summary
City utilities staff told the council that stormwater and deferred capital, not operations alone, drive rate pressure. A RAFTELUS rate study is underway and staff expects scenarios this fall; full stormwater funding could require multi‑million‑dollar annual investments.
City utilities and water‑pollution control staff detailed the drivers behind rising sewer and stormwater costs and the status of an ongoing rate study. Staff said the combined sewer/stormwater system and deferred capital investment are the largest drivers of cost, and that the RAFTELUS rate study is expected to deliver scenarios by October–November to present equitable options for fee structure changes.
Utilities leadership explained that stormwater creates large spikes in demand and that the top customers account for a disproportionate share of revenue; staff said fully funding stormwater resiliency could ultimately require on the order of $9–10 million per year in target funding for sustainable operations. The utilities director (Rob, speaker 11) summarized the challenge: "The biggest burden going forward is capital," and staff emphasized that modernizing the combined system will require multi‑year capital planning and creative financing to avoid rate shock.
