The Wichita City Council delayed a vote on water and sewer rate and fee increases.
The increases would have been effective January 1. Under the proposal, a household using 3,750 gallons of water or less per month would see an increase of $2.34 on their monthly bill, and those using up to 7,500 gallons would see their bill rise by $3.54.
Council members sited inflation concerns and those on low or fixed incomes as reasons for waiting on the vote. City staff will explore ways to help those residents absorb the proposed rate increase.
The recommended combined rate adjustment of 4.95% is necessary to fund ongoing operations and maintenance, along with construction of two large projects, the Northwest Water Facility and the Biological Nutrient Removal plant, at a combined cost of $910 million.
These projects benefit from federal (WIFIA) and state (SRF) financing. Joni Chamberlain with the city's public works department says that if the city simply used revenue bonds, repayment would begin much sooner and would not give the city enough time to gradually increase the rates like they are doing now. She said it would be a much sharper rise of about 10%.
The water facility project is currently slated for completion in late 2024-early 2025. Repayment on that financing begins a year later.
The council will tackle the issue again on November 8.