Knox County approves phased water and sewer increases to take effect March 2026

The Knox County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 23 approved a phased increase in water and sewer charges for several unincorporated service areas, including Howard/Apple Valley, Pleasant View Acres, Millwood and Bladensburg.

County officials told the board the 2026 schedule includes a $2 increase for water and a $2 increase for sewer and raises per-1,000-gallon overage charges (for usage tiers above the specified thresholds) to $5.20 for water and $5.00 for sewer. The county estimated that most customers who use less than 4,000 gallons would see about a $4 monthly increase when the changes appear on March 2026 billings; commissioners said the increases will be phased over roughly three years rather than implemented all at once.

A county representative explained the proposed changes are intended to better align customer charges with the county’s actual costs. "We are receiving under the amount we're paying," the commissioner said, adding the board plans "to get that to where it needs to go, but not hit consumers with it too much all at once because it really it should have probably been done before now." The board voted to approve the rate schedule by voice vote.

Officials said not all areas listed have both water and sewer service; some listed communities receive only wastewater service, and the increases for those customers apply to sewer charges only. The board directed staff to prepare bills reflecting the March 2026 effective billing cycle and to implement the multi-year phase-in plan; commissioners noted the last time these overage rates were adjusted was in 2022.

The approval was procedural and passed without an extended public hearing. The board moved to approve the rate adjustments and the motion was seconded and adopted by voice vote. The county did not provide a detailed per-customer impact analysis in the meeting record; staff were asked to prepare implementation schedules and outreach for affected customers.