Committee backs FY2027 water and sewer rate increases; officials cite cost-of-service study

The Finance Committee on May 19 recommended that the governing body advance an ordinance setting FY2027 water and sewer rates, system development fees and related charges as proposed by the Board of Public Utilities.

Brad Bowen, BOPU administration division manager, told the committee the proposal includes a 3% monthly service fee for both water and sewer customers, residential per‑thousand‑gallon increases of about 5% for lower tiers and 9% for higher tiers, and a 5% increase to system development fees. Bowen said the changes are based on operations and maintenance needs, debt obligations and a capital plan and are not driven by data‑center or other new‑development revenues.

Explaining the practical effect, Bowen gave an example: a customer who uses the stated quantities on both water and sewer would see an increase that Bowen estimated at roughly $1.25 on a particular combined bill example cited during the discussion. Committee members asked about the BOPU process; Bowen described an annual budget and rate‑study cadence and said a new master plan is budgeted to support future rate work.

Councilman Wolf and other members praised the BOPU process for its technical rigor; the committee advanced the ordinance to the governing body with Councilman Moody recorded as voting no.

The ordinance will return to the full governing body for final action and implementation details and exact bill impacts will depend on individual consumption and rate schedule mappings in Exhibit A of the packet.