Colorado Springs City Council to vote on proposed increases for water rates Tuesday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Along with an earlier approval to raise natural gas rates but reduce electric rates this winter, Colorado Springs Utilities also proposes to increase water and wastewater rates.

Scott Shirola, manager of pricing and rates for the utility, said Monday that the proposed water and wastewater increases would add around $6 to the monthly bill of an average residential customer; all but 80 cents of the requested increase is for water service.

"Inflationary costs is why we need the increase," he explained. "We haven't had to raise water or wastewater rates since 2020. Even when you add the increase in natural gas rates and the decrease in electric rates, the overall monthly residential bill will increase only 2%; so we're glad to be able to ask for rate increases that are lower than inflation."

Helping to keep overall utility rates under control, Shirola said, is that customers use less electricity and water during winter than any other season.

The gas and electric rate increases began Oct. 1; the water and wastewater rate increases-- if approved by the City Council Tuesday -- are effective Jan. 1.

Shirola also said that CSU's status as a nonprofit utility makes it easier to keep costs under control.

"We understand that any increase can be significant to our customers," he said. "That's why we also have a number of programs to help people pay their bills, and to conserve energy."

City Council President Tom Strand said that he hopes customers will have the proper perspective.

"Certainly our labor and maintenance costs have gone up," he said. "So, we have to deal with what's real here. We've got to pay the bills. Please understand that we're trying to keep utility bills as long as we can."