The Board of Commissioners adopted updated rates and charges for year 2020 and beyond at the December 12, 2019 Board meeting. Under the new rate plan, water rates will increase by 2.5% each year through 2029. Driven by significantly higher levels of planned capital spending on the sewer system in the next ten years, sewer rates will go up by 8.25% until 2024, and then by 3% through 2029. The Board typically evaluates rates every two years, so rates set beyond 2021 are only tentative and will likely be fully re-examined before implementation. Even with the increases, the District will continue to have among the lowest water and sewer rates in the region.
The District’s Capital Facilities Charge for new connections to the water and sewer system will also increase over the next two years. The Capital Facilities Charges are the amounts collected by the District to ensure that property owners pay a pro rata share of the cost of facilities of general benefit to the utilities (e.g. wastewater treatment plants, water storage tanks). The increase of nearly $500 per equivalent residential unit for water connections, and nearly $600 per residential equivalent for sewer connections, will be phased in over the next two years. Despite these increases, the District’s connection charges will also remain among the lowest in the region.