Cosmopolis raises residential sewer and water connection fees after decades without change
December 31, 2025 | Cosmopolis, Grays Harbor County, Washington
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The Cosmopolis City Council on Dec. 17 approved Resolution 2025-16 (residential sewer connection fees) and Resolution 2025-17 (residential water connection fees), updates that staff said were long overdue.
Public Works Director Bill Seidore presented the changes, telling the council that connection fees had not been updated since about 1998–1999 and that Cosmopolis’ prior schedule led to revenue shortfalls over many years. Seidore compared proposed fees to neighboring communities and said the proposed charges aim to be more in line with Aberdeen and other nearby cities.
Council members discussed how connection fees apply to new residential construction rather than monthly utility rates and clarified that there are different rates for inside- and outside-city hookups. One council member read example fees from other towns (Westport: $6,050; Monticello: $239.95 plus parts and labor; others listed) to show that the proposed adjustments place Cosmopolis within a local range.
The council moved and passed both resolutions by voice vote. Council member Darcy moved to approve Resolution 2025-16 and Council member Skinner seconded; the motion passed. The same sequence (Darcy moved; Skinner seconded) carried Resolution 2025-17.
Why it matters: Council members said updating connection fees is necessary to stop 20–25 years of revenue losses tied to new hookups and to make sure infrastructure costs for new construction are recovered by the city rather than subsidized by existing ratepayers. The resolutions affect only connection charges for new residential builds; regular monthly utility billing was not changed at the meeting.
Next steps: Staff will post the adopted rates and incorporate them into permitting and development workflows; council members suggested using the public works committee or staff-level meetings to address project-specific fee questions.
(Attribution: remarks by Public Works Director Bill Seidore and council members as recorded in the meeting.)
Public Works Director Bill Seidore presented the changes, telling the council that connection fees had not been updated since about 1998–1999 and that Cosmopolis’ prior schedule led to revenue shortfalls over many years. Seidore compared proposed fees to neighboring communities and said the proposed charges aim to be more in line with Aberdeen and other nearby cities.
Council members discussed how connection fees apply to new residential construction rather than monthly utility rates and clarified that there are different rates for inside- and outside-city hookups. One council member read example fees from other towns (Westport: $6,050; Monticello: $239.95 plus parts and labor; others listed) to show that the proposed adjustments place Cosmopolis within a local range.
The council moved and passed both resolutions by voice vote. Council member Darcy moved to approve Resolution 2025-16 and Council member Skinner seconded; the motion passed. The same sequence (Darcy moved; Skinner seconded) carried Resolution 2025-17.
Why it matters: Council members said updating connection fees is necessary to stop 20–25 years of revenue losses tied to new hookups and to make sure infrastructure costs for new construction are recovered by the city rather than subsidized by existing ratepayers. The resolutions affect only connection charges for new residential builds; regular monthly utility billing was not changed at the meeting.
Next steps: Staff will post the adopted rates and incorporate them into permitting and development workflows; council members suggested using the public works committee or staff-level meetings to address project-specific fee questions.
(Attribution: remarks by Public Works Director Bill Seidore and council members as recorded in the meeting.)
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