Town Announces Adjustments to Water and Sewer Rates
12/29/2025
In a move to ensure long-term reliability and sustainability of essential public utilities, town officials have announced upcoming adjustments to water and sewer rates. The decision follows a thorough review of infrastructure needs, operational costs, and both ongoing and upcoming projects designed to enhance water quality and service delivery for all residents.
The town’s decision to adjust water and sewer rates is driven by several key factors. Firstly, the aging infrastructure necessitates significant upgrades to ensure service reliability. Secondly, operational costs have risen due to inflation and increasing energy prices. Thirdly, the town is dedicated to improving water quality through various projects, such as replacing old pipelines and installing advanced treatment systems.
Town crews work diligently each year to replace sections of the aging underground infrastructure. The town is fortunate to have crews that are capable of this type of work as there are substantial savings in doing the work in-house, but the costs continue to rise. For example, the 6” pipe that is used to replace water lines cost $5.88 per foot in 2020, by 2022 the cost of the same pipe had risen to $13.72 per foot. To put that in perspective, the cost of pipe to replace a 400-foot section of water line in 2020 cost $2,352.00 but rose to $5,488.00 in 2022. That equates to a 230% increase in material costs. The 8” pipe used to replace aging sewer lines cost $4.13 per foot in 2017 and was $12.98 per foot in 2024. The cost of the pipe for a 400’ section of sewer line in 2017 cost $1,652 while in 2024 the same amount of pipe cost $5,192. The increase for materials for sewer pipe upgrades equates to a 310% increase in costs.
Daily costs of operations for treating water and wastewater have risen as well. Chemicals used to treat the water have risen anywhere from 39% to 73% since 2021. Along with the increased chemical costs, the cost of electricity has risen as well. The cost of a kWh of electricity has increased 45%.
Along with the cost increases described above and the aging underground infrastructure, the aging water treatment facility needs work to extend the life of the facility. The water treatment facility was built in 1970 and underwent extensive renovations in 2005. The large sedimentation basins that perform a crucial function in the processing of drinking water are still original from 1970. These basins need replacement as outlined in a recent structural analysis. The recommendation from the engineering firm that performed the analysis is as follows:
“It is our professional opinion the basin structure is reaching the end of its service life. We recommend starting to implement and plan for full replacement.”
The planning for full replacement has begun and will continue into 2026 with preliminary engineering studies, construction plans, and searching for funding sources through potential grants and loan options.
Beginning in the February 2026 billing cycle, residents can expect a change in both water and sewer rates. The new rates will look different from what customers are accustomed to seeing. In the past, all utility bills were based off a minimum of 3,000 gallons of usage whether that much water was used or not. Under the new rate plan, customers will pay a flat monthly rate and then a per gallon cost for each gallon used. The new rate structure for water and sewer customers for the next five years can be seen in the tables below.
|
Water Rate Adjustment |
||||||
|
|
1/1/2026 |
7/1/2026 |
7/1/2027 |
7/1/2028 |
7/1/2029 |
7/1/2030 |
|
Base Rate |
$25.00 |
$25.00 |
$26.00 |
$26.50 |
$27.00 |
$27.50 |
|
Per Gallon |
$0.006 |
$0.007 |
$0.00735 |
$0.00772 |
$0.00810 |
$0.00851 |
To give customers a picture of how the rate adjustment will affect their individual monthly water bill, the table below was developed using random usage amounts.
|
Current Water Rates Compared to Adjusted Rates |
|||||||
|
Gallons Used |
Current Billing |
1/1/2026 |
7/1/2026 |
7/1/2027 |
7/1/2028 |
7/1/2029 |
7/1/2030 |
|
794 |
$35.00 |
$29.76 |
$30.56 |
$31.84 |
$32.63 |
$33.43 |
$34.26 |
|
1,795 |
$35.00 |
$35.77 |
$37.57 |
$39.19 |
$40.35 |
$41.55 |
$42.77 |
|
2,501 |
$35.00 |
$40.01 |
$42.51 |
$44.38 |
$45.80 |
$47.27 |
$48.78 |
|
3,241 |
$36.61 |
$44.45 |
$47.69 |
$49.82 |
$51.51 |
$53.26 |
$55.08 |
|
4,668 |
$45.99 |
$53.01 |
$57.68 |
$60.31 |
$62.53 |
$64.83 |
$67.22 |
|
5,325 |
$50.32 |
$56.95 |
$62.28 |
$65.14 |
$67.60 |
$70.15 |
$72.81 |
|
19,600 |
$128.38 |
$142.60 |
$162.20 |
$170.06 |
$177.76 |
$185.83 |
$194.27 |
|
Sewer Rate Adjustment |
||||||
|
|
1/1/2026 |
7/1/2026 |
7/1/2027 |
7/1/2028 |
7/1/2029 |
7/1/2030 |
|
Base Rate |
$15.00 |
$15.00 |
$16.00 |
$16.50 |
$17.00 |
$17.50 |
|
Per Gallon |
$0.004 |
$0.0042 |
$0.00441 |
$0.00463 |
$0.00486 |
$0.00511 |
Likewise, to give customers a picture of how the rate adjustment will affect their individual monthly sewer bill, the table below was developed using random usage amounts.
|
Current Sewer Rates Compared to Adjusted Rates |
|||||||
|
Gallons Used |
Current Rate |
1/1/2026 |
7/1/2026 |
7/1/2027 |
7/1/2028 |
7/1/2029 |
7/1/2030 |
|
794 |
$22.50 |
$18.18 |
$18.33 |
$19.50 |
$20.18 |
$20.86 |
$21.55 |
|
1,795 |
$22.50 |
$22.18 |
$22.54 |
$23.92 |
$24.81 |
$25.73 |
$26.66 |
|
2,501 |
$22.50 |
$25.00 |
$25.50 |
$27.03 |
$28.08 |
$29.16 |
$30.27 |
|
3,241 |
$24.50 |
$27.96 |
$28.61 |
$30.29 |
$31.51 |
$32.76 |
$34.05 |
|
4,668 |
$36.34 |
$33.67 |
$34.61 |
$36.59 |
$38.12 |
$39.70 |
$41.33 |
|
5,325 |
$41.80 |
$36.30 |
$37.37 |
$39.48 |
$41.16 |
$42.89 |
$44.68 |
|
19,600 |
$71.77 |
$93.40 |
$97.32 |
$102.44 |
$107.26 |
$112.30 |
$117.56 |
The town council has been actively discussing rate adjustments over the past several months during council meetings and a work session. To ensure transparency and gather public input, a public hearing was held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. During the hearing, town officials explained the factors behind the proposed adjustments and addressed concerns.
Town officials stress that these rate adjustments are a proactive step to prevent larger, emergency expenditures in the future. Investments in modernizing water and sewer infrastructure are expected to improve reliability, reduce service interruptions, and support the town’s long-term environmental goals.