Water and wastewater utility rates will be increasing in Junction City starting on January 1, 2016, in order to fund massive capital improvements to the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants.

In 2014 the City Commission adopted a business plan to address the need to improve the plants, and the plan called for water and wastewater utility rate increases each year for ten years. Wastewater rates will increase 6 percent in 2016 from $28.65 a monthly minimum to $30.37 a monthly minimum, or $2.13 / 100 cf to $2.26 / cf.

Water rates will also go up 6 percent starting in January. Most residential customers have a 1 inch line and will go from $18.27 a monthly minimum rate in 2015 to $19.36 a monthly minimum in 2016, or those paying for more than 200 cf and up to 1,000 cf will see an increase from $2.36 / 100 cf to $2.51 / 100 cf. Those who use more than 1,000 cf will see an increase from $2.72 / 100 cf to $2.79 / 100 cf.

The ten-year rate increase plan is designed to pay for phase one of the three-phase improvement plan.

“We’re embarking on $25 million in improvements,” said Cheryl Beatty, City Finance Director/Assistant City Manager.

Over the ten-year rate increase plan water rates will continue to increase by 6.5 percent through the year 2019. The increase will then decrease to 6 percent in 2020, and decrease again to 4.5 percent in 2021. In 2022 the increase will drop again to 4 percent where it will remain through 2024.

The waste water rate increase will actually increase from 5.5 percent in 2014 to 6.5 percent in 2015. It will then decrease to 6 percent in 2016 and stay at 6 percent through 2022, before decreasing again to 5.5 percent in 2023 and 3 percent in 2024.