 - The City of Lander plans to raise utility rates for water and wastewater services by 9 percent this year in order to cover the increased costs associated with infrastructure projects in town.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – The City of Lander plans to raise utility rates for water and wastewater services by 9 percent this year in order to cover the increased costs associated with infrastructure projects in town.
Originally, city staff said they anticipated proposing a 7 percent increase in water and sewer utility rates, but based on “what these (projects) are going to cost us now,” Treasurer Charri Lara said “we changed it to be 9 percent.”
“It is expensive out there,” Public Works Director Lance Hopkin said. “Everything has gotten more expensive for our contractors, and we’re trying to pay for it.”
The increased costs are associated with inflationary pressures that have impacted the price of materials, Hopkin explained.
Lara estimated that most of the projects the city has planned for the coming years have increased in cost by 47 percent as a result.
A 9 percent utility rate hike won’t be enough to address that kind of increase, Councilmember Melinda Cox pointed out, and Hopkin agreed, noting that other government agencies have already started either “folding a lot of their projects” or raising rates more drastically in order to cover increased costs.
‘Manageable’
The 9 percent increase being proposed in Lander would result in an average extra charge of $5 to $10 per month for most residential users, Councilmember Julia Stuble estimated, calling that a “manageable” amount “for a lot of households to be able to accommodate.”
The increase is also “deeply necessary,” she said, pointing out that the city’s water mains are “incredibly aged.”
It’s “unlucky” that the country is facing “deep volatility in the cost of services and goods at the same time that we have critical infrastructure problems,” Stuble acknowledged, but “I think the solution in front of us is modest rate increases to pay our way (while we) do as much construction as we can before … we can no longer do it.”
Public hearing
The council held a public hearing on the proposed utility rate increases last week, drawing some questions from residents about rates for out-of-town and business customers, and about alternative ways Lander could raise money for infrastructure projects.
Commenters also suggested cutting administrative costs instead of raising rates, or adjusting the rate schedule to lessen the impact on lower-use customers.
White said she would be interested in considering a modified rate schedule next year – but “the bottom line” is that costs are “way up,” she added, and infrastructure upgrades “cost money.”
Click here to see Lander’s current water and sewer rates, and click here to see Lander’s proposed water and sewer rates for 2025-2026.
For information on Lander’s Residential Low Income Discount for Water and Wastewater Services, click here.