Columbus City Utilities is planning to seek a rate increase request for water customers, and will present a proposal and timetable during a Thursday utilities board meeting at Columbus City Hall.
Utilities Executive Director Scott Dompke said he could not give a percentage for the potential rate increase at this time or an estimate of the difference that will be seen on an average customer’s bill.
“We will release the preliminary numbers after we discuss this at the board meeting,” he said. He also stated that more information, such as the exact percentage, “will come out in the next couple of weeks.”
According to Dompke, a rate increase is needed because the cost of water utility capital and operations has increased. He also pointed to “aging infrastructure” and maintenance as other factors resulting in the need for an increase.
“The water utility has not had a rate case since 1992,” said Dompke. “And it is a subject for which my predecessor has made a case to the board and to the city council for many years, and this has been in the works for many years. And while the timing is less than ideal, it is something we cannot avoid any longer.”
He added that Columbus’s drinking water rates are “about one third of the average for the state of Indiana across the state.” Columbus’s water rate for the first 10,000 gallons is $1.61, and the monthly charge per bill is $0.74.
Dompke said that after making their case to the board, the utilities’ department’s next step will be to take the request to the Columbus City Council.
The next step after that is filing a petition with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).
If the rate increase is eventually approved, Dompke estimated that it would be approximately 10 months before the increase would go into effect.
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The Columbus City Utilities board meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s website at 11:30 a.m. Thursday from the Cal Brand Meeting Room at City Hall, 123 Washington St.
To watch the livestream, go to columbus.in.gov and click on the video icon when the meeting is to begin. Then click on the utilities board link to watch the meeting.
The public may attend in person. Any person entering Columbus City Hall will have a temperature check; will be required to wear a mask; and will be required to follow social distancing guidelines.
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