Council approves Title 13 amendments raising water and sewer rates, adding master‑meter structure and irrigation ordinance

The Town Council unanimously approved amendments to Title 13 of the Jackson Municipal Code on March 16 that would increase water and sewer rates, create a master‑meter billing structure for certain developments and codify a three‑phase irrigation ordinance.

Public Works Director Johnny Zine presented the proposals, saying they respond to rising operational and construction costs and growing capital needs. "Over the last two years we saw a 9% increase in water operational budgets and a 58% increase in capital expenditures," Zine said. Staff recommended a 25% increase to water bills (base rate and volume charges), a 10% increase to sewer user charges and a roughly 5.2% increase to capacity and capital‑replacement fees.

Zine gave examples of customer impacts: a typical winter residential account (10,000 gallons) would rise from $30.91 to $38.62 per month; a summer residential profile (50,000 gallons) would rise about $50.56 monthly. He told council the town has used water‑fund reserves to cover cost overruns on two large recent projects and that limited bidder turnout on major projects contributed to higher costs.

The council also approved a master‑meter rate structure for developments served through a single meter, a system Zine said would let the town bill one account scaled by the number of active taps and make it easier to detect leaks and manage the system. "For master‑meter developments we would apply the same six‑tier single‑family structure, scaled to active taps," he said.

On water efficiency, staff proposed embedding three irrigation phases into code: (1) voluntary every‑other‑day watering encouraged year‑round; (2) mandatory odd/even restrictions when triggers are met; and (3) a strict mandatory phase for worst‑case shortages. Zine said the ordinance includes objective triggers—flow, water‑use patterns and system data—so the town can activate restrictions without emergency measures.

Councilors pressed staff on the proposal’s size, equity across customer classes and whether adjusting tier percentages could better target irrigation use. Several members said they were reluctant to phase frequent, large increases but supported rebuilding reserves and completing a deeper rate study in about 18 months. Town legal counsel noted statutory guardrails requiring reasonableness and uniformity in rates.

After discussion, the council voted to adopt the package as presented with an effective date of June 1, 2026. The motion directed staff to draft ordinances implementing (1) the water and sewer rate and fee amendments, (2) the master‑meter water utility structure, and (3) the water‑efficiency irrigation ordinance. The motion passed unanimously; a roll‑call tally was not read into the record.