Come New Year’s Day, residents will notice a slight increase in their monthly utility bills.
A roughly 10 percent utility increase, approved back in December of 2024, will go into effect at the start of the year, being reflected in water, sewer and solid waste fees, according to City Finance Officer Janet Harouff, a recent guest of KVOE’s Morning Show.
In total, Harouff says residential customers will see a five to six-dollar increase, with a larger increase on commercial customers. Harouff explained that the need for the increase came as a result of debt for major improvement projects and the cost of day-to-day operations.
In addition to the rate increases, residents will also notice a new stormwater fee that will range between 50 cents to $1.
The stormwater fee was approved in June, following its initial discussion in May, to establish a dedicated revenue stream for addressing stormwater improvements across the community, which had previously been funded through sales and property tax dollars. Back in June, Deputy City Manager Mark Detter had stated that while nobody is a fan of fees, new or increased, this would mean less impact on property taxes.
Harouff says this will be the final rate increase related to the action taken back in 2024, however, she cannot guarantee that future increases won’t be necessary.
Residents have multiple options for paying their bills, including online through the city’s new bill pay system, which became active earlier this year at emporiaks.gov/utilitybillpay, visiting the city offices, or setting up a payment plan with the city. For more information on the fee structures, visit EmporiaKS.gov.
