WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Washington Court House laid out a detailed breakdown of its proposed water rate increase this week, showing bills would climb 9% a year for the first three years before leveling off over a 40-year schedule, as City Council continues to weigh an overhaul of the city’s water rate structure.
The proposal would affect only the water portion of residents’ utility bills; wastewater rates would not change under the plan, the city said in a post to its Facebook page.
Under the proposed schedule, water rates would rise 9% annually in years one through three, 4% annually in years four through six, 3.5% annually in years seven through 30, and 3% annually in years 31 through 40.
For a two-adult household with a water charge of $15.49 a month, the increase would push that charge to roughly $20.05 within three years, raising the household’s combined water and sewer bill from $38.19 to about $42.75 — an increase the city said amounts to roughly 15 cents a day. A customer with a $25 monthly water charge would see that charge climb to about $32.38 over the same three years, an increase of about 24 cents a day, according to the city.
City officials said water rates have remained largely unchanged since the 1990s, aside from a modest 1% annual adjustment adopted several years ago, even as the cost of treatment chemicals, electricity, equipment, replacement parts, construction materials, regulatory compliance and labor have continued to rise. The increases are intended to strengthen the water utility’s finances ahead of the design and construction of a new generation of water treatment facilities, which the city said will be needed to replace aging infrastructure and support residential, commercial and industrial growth.
The city pointed to Hillsboro and Circleville as other southern Ohio communities that have recently adopted or considered similar multi-year water rate increases to address rising operating costs, aging infrastructure and capital improvement needs.
The rate increase is tied to Ordinance No. 14-2026, which would amend Section 54.03 of the city’s codified ordinances to establish the long-term water rate schedule, add a temporary water debt service charge and build in automatic inflation adjustments. The measure had its first reading before City Council on Oct. 28.
City officials said a financially stronger water utility would be better positioned to qualify for state and federal grants and low-interest financing for future infrastructure projects, which they said could reduce the long-term cost of major water system upgrades.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Washington Court House.
