The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) will be holding a public hearing via Zoom at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 to discuss the proposed water rate increase for the City of Prescott. …
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The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) will be holding a public hearing via Zoom at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 to discuss the proposed water rate increase for the City of Prescott. Interested parties may attend by Zoom or by telephone connection with audio only. The meeting is also expected to be recorded and available via livestream on YouTube.
On Feb. 13, 2024, the City of Prescott approved a full rate case study to the Wisconsin PSC. This two-step rate case study is the first full water rate case study since 1997. The Wisconsin PSC has now completed the review and issued their draft findings, including a proposed new water rate tariff. The City of Prescott Municipal Water Utility has applied to the Public Service Commission to raise water rates in order to keep up with the cost of maintaining and improving the water system, which has seen a significant increase since the last rate adjustment in 1997. The cost of assets (like pipes and treatment plants) has risen by over 453%, and operating costs (such as staff and maintenance) have risen by over 353%.
The Prescott Water Utility is requesting an overall increase of $518,186 in water revenues, resulting in an 85.95% increase in water rates. As it was a two-step rate study, the rate increase would happen in two different time periods. The first increase of $208,037 would take effect April 1, 2025, and the second increase of $310,149 would take effect around Jan. 1, 2026 after the Well #3 Treatment Project is completed.
The City of Prescott found that 1,638 residential customers used 18,878,000 gallons of water based on last quarter’s billings which comes out to 11,525 gallons per customer. A posting on the City of Prescott website states, “Overall, the average residential user will see a 79% increase in water rates over the two steps. A 35% increase in 2025 and a 32% increase in 2026 assuming a use of 11,525 gallons per quarter. The average per quarter increase would be $50.04 over the two steps.”
The full release of the Wisconsin PSC’s draft findings can be found at www.prescottwi.org/psc.
To join the Jan. 22 Zoom meeting, go to http://us02web.zoom.us/my/pschearings
