Columbus Water Works raises rate for 2023. What it means for your monthly bill
Monthly bills for Columbus Water Works customers will increase by 4.95%, starting Jan. 1.
That means the monthly bill will increase by less than $3.14 for approximately 80% of the utility’s more than 250,000 customers, covering Muscogee, Harris and Talbot counties, plus Fort Benning, according to CWW.
CWW’s five-person board unanimously approved the administration’s recommendation during Monday’s meeting. Board members are chairman Rodney Close, vice chairwoman Becky Rumer, Wes Kelley, Clint Cox and Mayor Skip Henderson.
The Ledger-Enquirer didn’t reach Close or Henderson for comment before publication, but CWW representatives explained the rationale for the rate increase at the Nov. 8 Columbus Council meeting.
Rising operating costs and capital spending to replace outdated infrastructure and comply with regulations were the main factors mentioned.
“Investing in our infrastructure keeps us having a day without water,” said CWW executive vice president Billy Cobb Jr.
Cobb referred to the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, where infrastructure neglect contributed to operational failures of the city’s water system and required residents to boil water for more than 40 days to be safe for consumption.
“We try to minimize the cost to our rate payers by maximizing the life cycle of our assets,” he said.
CWW has a master plan, Cobb said, to “make sure we don’t let what happened in Jackson, Mississippi, happen here in Columbus, Georgia.”
Joe Crea, vice president of Charlotte-based consulting firm Raftelis, which advises more than 600 utilities across the nation, told the council, “Columbus Water Works, especially from a financial management perspective, is definitely a top-tier kind of best-in-class utility.”
Inflation impact
This past year’s inflation has hit utilities hard. Operating and maintenance costs usually increase by an average of 2.3% in the industry. But while inflation for consumer prices this year is 9%, the Municipal Cost Index, which includes utilities, is up 12.2%, according to the CWW presentation.
CWW presented data that puts the rate increases in perspective. CWW customers pay an average of $15-$20 less per month compared to regional and national averages. Annual rate increases in the industry have been more than 5.25% since 2012, while CWW rate increases, including this year, have averaged around 3.9%.
The L-E requested CWW’s rate increases for the past 10 years. Information supplied by CWW senior vice president Vic Burchfield shows the rate increase approved last year and effective Jan. 1 was 3.75%. This 4.95% rate increase matches CWW’s previous high (2019) during the past 10 years. The lowest was 2.34% in 2020.
CWW also presented a regional comparison of monthly water and sewer bills for a typical customer, using 3,750 gallons per month, as of September:
- $88.04 Atlanta
- $66.54 Regional benchmark
- $60.78 Augusta
- $44.53 Columbus
- $43.54 Macon
- $40.98 Savannah
- $36.03 Columbus customers in a financial assistance program
- $34.91 Phenix City
Financial assistance for customers
CWW offers two financial assistance programs for customers:
- The Existing Low-Income Credit Program provides an $8.50 monthly credit, with 275 customers enrolled and combining to save a total of $28,000 annually.
- The Federal Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program offers qualified families savings for as much as $500 annually, with 1,728 customers having received a total benefit of $552,000.
Questions from councilors
Several councilors questioned the CWW representatives during the meeting.
Councilor Glenn Davis of District 2 asked how many CWW customers are outside Muscogee County. No number was provided then, but Crea said less than 5% of CWW’s total water consumption is from customers outside Muscogee.
Davis also asked whether CWW has considered making the rates higher for customers outside Muscogee.
“Yes, sir,” Cobb said, “They’re higher.”
Councilors Toyia Tucker of District 4 and Pops Barnes of District 1 expressed concern about senior citizens having persistent leaks that result in exorbitant water bills. They cited one example of a Columbus resident having a bill for approximately $600 while living alone in a shotgun house.
CWW has been installing new meters “over the past eight or nine years” that can tell when a leak started, Cobb said. Those meters alert CWW about unusual usage, so a technician can be sent to fix the problem, said CWW chief financial officer Carl Roberston.
Cobb said the CWW welcomes folks to contact them if somebody has an issue with their bill.
