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City adopts ordinance 637 to raise utility rates, citing infrastructure needs
Summary
After a public hearing, the Woods Cross City Council adopted Ordinance 637 raising culinary water rates by 6.33% (about $2/month for a typical single-family connection), adding a $1-per-can garbage pass-through and increasing stormwater to about $9.38 per ERU to build reserves and fund repairs.
Woods Cross City Council voted Jan. 20 to adopt Ordinance 637, which implements multi-fund utility rate changes the city said are needed to stabilize reserves and fund water-system upgrades. The Finance Director recommended a 6.33% increase in culinary water rates, which staff said translates to roughly a $2.00 monthly increase to the base charge for a single-family residence. The council adopted the ordinance by roll-call vote after a public hearing with no public comments on the rates.
City staff explained the increase is part of a five-year rate plan tied to the 2025 Series Water Bond and rising construction and materials costs. Finance Director Brian Passey told the council, "Staff recommends a 6.33% increase to all culinary water rates. This results is a $2.00 per month increase to one connection, such as one single-family residence (SFR) base charge." The proposal also passes through a $1-per-black-can garbage fee approved by the Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District and recommends a stormwater rate of $9.38 per ERU to help build an emergency repair reserve for the largely subsurface storm system.
Council members and the mayor cited the risk of deferred maintenance causing much larger future increases. Mayor Ryan Westergard said the goal is to avoid sudden spikes by taking modest increases now to reach long-term reserve targets. The council directed staff to bring a revised consolidated fee schedule back for ratification at the next meeting.
