The Chandler City Council, for the second time in a year, is seeking near double-digit water rate increases for residents and businesses.
But even with the price jump, Chandler would remain among the cities with the lowest average utility bills in metro Phoenix, according to the city.
Water, wastewater, reclaimed water and solid waste utilities are poised to increase by between 4.5% and 9% for every user, including businesses, apartment complexes and residents. For the average resident, that would mean an extra $5.70 added to the overall utility bill.
The last increase, which began on March 2, was a record 15% for water and wastewater bills and an additional 18% for reclaimed water. It raised the average resident's bill by $10 for a total of $84.
At the time, and again recently, city staff said another increase was necessary because of increasing operating, construction and maintenance costs.
Officials in previous meetings floated the idea of raising rates annually to keep up with inflation and to avoid a single double-digit increase — like Gilbert's 50% price hike in one year.
Gilbert has "bitten a hard bullet ... because they had not been incrementally raising these rates," Mayor Kevin Hartke said earlier this year.
Notably, staff did not mention the Colorado River water shortages as a reason for the price increases, even as neighboring city Phoenix eyes increases due to the looming cuts.
Less than 40% of Chandler's drinking water comes from the Colorado River. The majority is supplied by the Salt and Verde rivers.
The City Council will discuss the water rate increases again on Oct. 15 with final approval scheduled for Nov. 12. If approved, the changes would go into effect Jan. 4, 2027.
Lauren De Young covers transportation and the cities of Tempe and Chandler for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at ldeyoung@azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chandler seeks second water rate increase in less than a year
