Ever wonder what those line items on your bi-monthly bill represent? Well we have that below, but first, let’s start with a broad overview of what it takes to maintain the City’s water and sewer system. Overall, the City collects about 65% of its revenues based on the amount of water that is used and 35% from base charges. The City’s costs are actually the reverse of this – only 30% of our costs are based on water purchases and wastewater treatment; the remaining 70% are fixed costs for maintenance staff, required testing, and general maintenance of the system. Therefore, as revenues go down with reduced water usage (i.e. during a drought), the City may* need to increase rates to ensure our continued ability to provide clean and safe water as well as proper disposal of wastewater so it doesn’t impact the ecosystem.
Now, below are explanations of the various charges on your bi-monthly water and sewer bill are determined.
*The fund will accumulate money so rates do not need to be increased during periods of droughts. The City Council determined that instead of increasing rates during a drought, we should set up a reserve account. The Drought Contingency Charge was therefore established, and became effective with the April 2018 bill.