At their regular meeting of May 9, 2023, the City Council voted to increase utility rates by about three percent for most customers. The increase is due to the increased cost of inflation, the cost and availability of hydroelectric power, and the ongoing drought, which has decreased the amount of power available from Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam.
The City contracted with the utilities consulting firm Raftelis to complete a study of utilities costs. This was last done in 2019 and was recommended to be done every three to five years. Due the extraordinary circumstances related to the drought and related issues, the City requested another survey this year.
The average rates of increase are small and depending on the customer’s use of of energy, water, and wastewater systems. The breakdown of increase is as follows:
- Small residential (mobile home, 1-2 residents): $3/month total bill increase
- Average residential (1000-2000 sf home, 4-6 residents): $4/month in total bill increase
- Large residential (2000 sf home and larger): $9/month in total bill increase
- Commercial customers: 3% to 4% on total monthly bill
“Nearly every consumer sector has been hit hard by inflation since 2020,” said City Manager Taylour Tedder. “The price of eggs doubled, meat prices soared and gasoline went up nearly 40-percent in 2022. Raising rates was a difficult decision, but we kept the increases as low as possible, and made sure rates for customers who use the least amount of utilities would feel a lesser impact.”
We’ve been lucky overall with the solar leases keeping our property taxes by far the lowest in the state and we do have (overall) very low utility rates.
The City suggests that residents consider signing up for the Budget Billing plan. The program averages the customer’s last 12 months of utility costs and sets a monthly cost based on the average. This allows customers to pay the same amount every month. Customers may call the Utility Billing Department at (702) 293-9244 to inquire about this program. Alternately, you can print this form HERE, fill it out and return it to the Utility Office.
The new rates will take effect with the October 2023 billing cycle.
