Commission keeps water at 4% and local sewer at 5%; Stantec flags irrigation recovery gap

Stantec presented rate modeling and a cost‑of‑service framework for water and sewer. The firm reported about 80% of water accounts are residential but they account for about half of consumption; irrigation customers (about 1% of accounts) consume a disproportionate share of water and recover only about 61% of their cost under current rates.

Stantec recommended maintaining current fixed charges and generating additional revenue through higher tiers and irrigation rates to target the extra needed revenue; the commission gave consensus to keep the water plan at 4% and local sewer at 5% and asked staff to pursue a cost‑of‑service study to inform final rate design and to provide more outreach about irrigation meter options and upfront capacity costs for customers.