Tulsa’s utility authority is requesting water and sewer rate increases again this year.
The utility authority said it needs 2 percent water and 9 percent sewer rate increases to keep up with debt service, improvements and increasing costs. Those increases translate to monthly bill increases of $2.50 for utility customers considered "low users," billed for 3,000 gallons of water and 2,000 gallons of sewer. The average customer's bill would go up by $5.02, and "high users" — 12,000 gallons of water and 8,000 gallons of sewer — would see $7.54 increases.
Eric Lee in the water and sewer department said some forward thinking to shift more spending from borrowing to cash has made the needed water increase lower than expected.
"Originally, it was scheduled to be a 6 percent rate increase, and it’s going to be a 2 percent based on using those excess funds at the end of the year, putting that back into the capital program, as well as savings that we have through our operations," Lee said.
The 9 percent sewer increase being requested falls in line with forecasts. Average spending on sewer projects the next five years will be about 30 percent more than on water projects.
Councilor David Patrick said the city’s water and sewer infrastructure has come a long way over the past decade.
"If we don’t keep working on our system and don’t have these increases, then it’s going to fall back in disrepair," Patrick said. "And if you think our streets is in bad shape, we don’t want our sewer and water system to be that way because it has to go on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Plans call for a 70 percent increase in water project spending and 60 percent in sewer project spending the next five years compared to fiscal years 2012–2016. The rate increases are rolled into the city budget councilors will receive tonight and must approve by late June.