Special Water Board meeting tonight to focus on water rates

The Madison Water Utility Board will hold a special public meeting tonight to discuss Madison Water Utility's 2015 rate case. The meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the utility’s administrative offices, 119 East Olin Avenue. Discussion will likely focus on a planned conservation rate for residential customers.
 
Last month, the board postponed its vote on a new rate structure proposed by the utility and requested more information. Madison Water Utility had proposed an increase in residential base charges of $2.62 per month and an increase in usage charges of $0.15 per 1,000 gallons. The plan also included transitioning to a seasonal conservation rate, in which residential customers using more than 6,000 gallons a month during the peak summer season would be charged an additional $1.52 per 1,000 gallons for the extra water used.
 
Madison Water Utility submitted a rate application with the Public Service Commission in October seeking an overall 30% revenue increase. Tonight, the board is expected to decide on a particular rate design proposal. The plan will then go to the PSC, which will hold another public hearing on the rate case. If approved, new rates based on cost-of-service will be established for the utility’s 5 customer classes: residential, multi-family, commercial, industrial, and public authority. It is expected that rate increases will go into effect in the spring of 2015.
 
You can find tonight’s Water Board meeting agenda on Madison Water Utility’s Water Board web page.
 
We also encourage customers to get detailed information about how much water they’re using by taking advantage of our new online conservation tool, which tracks monthly, daily, even hourly water usage.