2019 water and wastewater finance workshop · monthly water base charge min non-zero: $3.25 (cary)...
TRANSCRIPT
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www.efc.sog.unc.edu
2019 Water and Wastewater
Finance Workshop
Jeff Hughes
Teaching Associate Professor
Director, Environmental Finance Center
School of Government
February 11-12, 2019
Chapel Hill, NC
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Dedicated to enhancing the ability of
governments and other organizations to
provide environmental programs and services
in fair, effective, and financially sustainable
ways through:
Applied Research
Teaching and Outreach
Program Design and Evaluation
How you pay for it matters
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Last Year’s Challenges
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Workshop Objectives
1. Improve understanding of water service
finance strategies, practices, and funding
sources
2. Improve understanding of evolving trends and
external drivers
3. Provide forum for sharing financing
perspectives, ideas, and experiences
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Agenda/Topics
Primary Topics
• Policy and regulatory
updates
• Partnerships
• Asset management and
planning
• Rates and charges
• Paying for the Big Stuff
General Themes
• Communication
• Planning/preparedness
• Financial assessment
• Cooperation
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Applied Research and Tools
Research
• Annual drinking water rate
and financial benchmarking
update.
• Debt affordability study.
• Planning practice survey.
• System development fee.
• Affordability programs
Tools and Guides
• Interlocal Agreement
Considerations
• Consolidation Considerations
• Rates and financial
benchmarking dashboard
• Plan to Pay
• Subsidy calculator
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Meet your Neighbor
(5 minutes)
• Where are you from?
• What do you do?
• Project or finance related initiative/practice that you
worked on during the last year that you are most
proud of?
• What finance challenge over the next few years
keeps you up at night?
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Using Poll Everywhere
1. Pull out your phone
2. Go to http://pollev.com/uncefc
3. You can now respond to today’s poll
questions!
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WHAT’S THE OUTLOOK???
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www.efc.sog.unc.edu
Finance Policy and Regulatory
Updates
Jeff Hughes
Teaching Associate Professor
Director, Environmental Finance Center
School of Government
February 11-12, 2019
Chapel Hill, NC
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Policy Developments
• America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018
• Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (2019)
• Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill)
• Funding Appropriation Bills
• Rates Study Commission
• System Development Fees
• Fair Market Value
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America’s Water Infrastructure Act
2018 (99 to 1)
• Water Resource Projects
• Reauthorizes Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund ($1.174
B to $1.95 B (2021)
• Allows longer term loans
• WIFIA reauthorized
• WIFIA approach integrated
into SRF Programs
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America’s Water Infrastructure Act
(Misc. Provisions)https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3021/text#toc-
H766B6B65954F497BB6ECC93B2FE313C6
• Study of “Intractable” Water Systems
• Provides potential for “Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program” ($4 B/yr – needs to be appropriated) (sec. 2005)
• Primacy agencies can require study of consolidations (Sec. 2010)
• Requires Community Risk and Resilience Assessments for systems greater than 3,330 (Sec. 2013)
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• Integration of wastewater and stormwater
management plans
• Expanded use of green infrastructure
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Farm Bill
(86 to 11)
• Regional Conservation
Partnership Program
(RCPP)
– Authorizes $200 M/yr
– Calls out drinking water
and drought objectives
• USDA Water and Waste
Disposal Grant and
Loan Program
reauthorized
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Rates Continue to be Scrutinized
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The Future of Rate Setting and
Revenue Monitoring???
• Status Quo
• State incentives or disincentives (Eligibility for
state grants)
• Statutory prohibitions (stormwater fees)
• Statutory limits and thresholds
• Third party oversight (investor owned utilities)
• Required processes (System Development Fees)
• Adherence to more consistent practices
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Rates Committee’s Expanded
Discussions
• Funding to support consolidation
• Need for additional training
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System Development Fees
• SDF legislation did not
address fees prior to
new requirements
• One approach ruled
unauthorized in the
courts
• Other approaches
under scrutiny
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www.efc.sog.unc.edu
Future of Water Governance
Jeff Hughes
Erin Riggs
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Tools in the Collaboration Tool Box
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The Risk of Not Getting it Right
• Unexpected surprises
• Law suits
• Unhappy partners
• Fractured agreements
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Topics for Consideration: Crafting Interlocal Water and Wastewater Agreements
37
What the guide does do:
-Provide topics that should be considered at the forefront of drafting or
amending interlocal water and wastewater agreements
-Provide explanations for why such topics, if left unaddressed, may lead to
conflict or confusion
-Provide options for the types of provisions that should or could be included
-Highlight different methods or alternatives for addressing the referenced topics
-Provide some examples taken directly from current agreements
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Topics for Consideration: Crafting Interlocal Water and Wastewater Agreements
38
What the guide does not do:
-Make a judgment as to how considerations should be handled
-Provide model language that can be extrapolated and used in new
agreements
-Replace legal advice or counsel which should be a part of any local
government’s setting up or amending an agreement
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Service Area
• Ambiguity concerning unserved areas can lead to problems ranging from competition to serve new growth to a lack of coordination or duplication of line extensions.
• At a minimum, the sales agreement should include language that specifies which partner will have authority to serve any unserved area within close proximity to contracting entities.
42
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When agreements lead to
disagreements?
• Binding arbitration may prove to be limiting. It will prevent participants from appealing any outcome, and will preclude formal litigation if the arbitration does not work.
• As an alternative, contracting entities might want to agree to a non-binding mediation process, which will preserve the option for formal litigation if the parties cannot resolve their conflict.
45
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Fair Market Value Comes to NC
• Approach being used in other states
• Facilitates transfer of assets to investor owned
utility
• Facilitates transfer of cash to local government
utility
• Provides insight into valuation of assets and
tension between rate payers vs. utility owneer
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Fair Market Value Opinions
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EFC Resources Water and Wastewater Finance
50
Publications
1. Consideration Guides for Crafting Water and Wastewater Interlocal Agreements
2. Consolidation Considerations (coming soon!)
3. Navigating Legal Pathways to Rate-Funded Customer Assistance Programs
4. Nationwide Regionalization Case Studies
5. Debt Capacity Paper
6. Analysis of Board Governing Structures for Water and Sewer Authorities in NC
Tools to Assist Water Utilities with Financial Decision-Making
1. Rates and Revenue
2. Benchmarking
3. Affordability
4. Capital Finance
5. Communicating with the Board
6. Evaluating Loans and Grants
Technical Assistance for Small Systems
Environmental Finance Blog
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www.efc.sog.unc.edu
Future of Pricing
Jeff Hughes
Shadi Eskaf
Austin Thompson
https://m.salisburypost.com/2019/02/10/josh-
bergeronyears-later-bills-still-an-issue-in-landis/
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What not including depreciation looks like
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Fair Bluff Causey St. PS
What not including depreciation looks like
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Data Source: 2017 NC Water and Wastewater Utility Management Survey (funded by the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory)
What will your future rate adjustment do?
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FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
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Picture Source: Charlotte Water http://charlottenc.gov/Water/Pages/Home.aspx
Charlotte Water collected
$379 million in water and wastewater
operating revenues in FY2018Highest in North Carolina. Down 6% from FY2017.
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Picture Source: Google Maps Streetview
Town of Proctorville collected
$21,211in wastewater operating revenues in FY2018
(no wastewater system)Lowest in North Carolina. Up 14% from FY2017.
Raised monthly flat fee from $25 to $30 per customer = 20% increase.
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Picture Source: Indio Water Authority http://www.indiowater.org/index.aspx?page=587
NC local government utilities collected
more than $3.04 billionin water and wastewater operating revenues in FY2017Preliminary projections show that revenues may have exceeded $3.1 billion in FY2018
(incomplete data)
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The largest 10 utilities collected
43% of all of the water and wastewater
operating revenues in FY2017
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NC local government utilities had
more than $2.43 billionin water and wastewater operating expenses in FY2017
Yet: ~22% of local government utilities had lower
operating revenues than O&M expenditures plus debt
service in FY2017
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THE STATE OF RATES IN NC
IN 2019
Your sneak peak into…
PRELIMINARY RESULTSFinal results may be published in the forthcoming 2019 NCLM/EFC North Carolina Water & Wastewater Rates Survey Report
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NC Water and Wastewater Rates Survey
• Joint annual surveys since 2005
• 2019 survey: 495 utilities included (95%)
• Rates Dashboard coming very soon!
• Tables and summary report to be distributed in coming weeks at http://www.efc.sog.unc.edu and http://www.nclm.org
• Resources for utilities provided and funded by the Division of Water Infrastructure of the NC Department of Environmental Quality
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Half of the utilities charge residential (inside) customers more than
$65.45 for combined water and wastewater per month
$29.16 for water $36.52 for wastewater
For “inside” residential customers using 4,000 gallons/month
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Picture Source: Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raleigh_city_limits_sign.jpg
82% of NC’s municipalities charge
different rates outside city limits
Half of the municipalities charge
1.77x higher for water and
1.91x higher for wastewaterthan they do for inside customers
For residential customers using 4,000 gallons/month
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The Average North Carolinian pays…
$58.94/monthfor 4,000 gallons of water and wastewater, combined.
Accounting for service populations and inside/outside rates.
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Water rates in 42% of rate structures and
Wastewater rates in 45% of rate structures were
raised last year
Out of 479 water & 396 wastewater rate structures since last year
Half of the rate increases were greater than
4.6% for water and 5.0% for wastewaterAt 5,000 gallons/month
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Monthly water base charge Min non-zero: $3.25 (Cary)
Median: $16.55
Max: $50.00 (Martin County)
Unique section in one utility charges more
Monthly wastewater base charge Min non-zero: $2.00 (Laurel Park, Spring Hope)
Median: $18.00
Max: $69.50 (Lake Lure)
Currituck County charges $100.00 in Moyock Commons
Highest volumetric rate per 1,000 gallons at
4,000 gallons/month
$13.60/1000 gallons Water (Saratoga)
$25.00/1000 gallons Wastewater (Walstonburg)
Yadkin County charges $19.50/1000 gallons for water in
its Jonesville service area (Jonesville outside rates)
Median percentage of customer bill due to
base charge at 4,000
55% Water
51% Wastewater
2019 by the Numbers - Inside Rates
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THE FUTURE OF RATES
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Before we start…
• A little about me:
– Project Director at the Environmental Finance
Center
• Analysis, Technical Assistance, and Education
– Background
• Biology
• Environmental Economics and Policy
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Why look at trends?
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Why look at trends? (cont.)
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THE ANALYSIS
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What Data is included in this analysis?
• Utility-Level Rates Data from 2007-2018
• EPA SDWIS data from 2009-2018
• US Census Bureau American Community Surveys Data from 2010-2017
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for the South Region from 2007-2018
All together, the analysis represents approximately 200-250 utilities. Each graph represents data from
utilities for which we have data in every year.
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TRENDS IN RATE STRUCTURES
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Trends in Residential Rate Structures,
2007 & 2017
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
58
123
50
88
124
21
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Increasing Block Uniform Decreasing Block
2007: Residential 2017: Residential
51.7%
Increase 58.0%
Decline
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TRENDS IN PRICING
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Median Monthly Water and Wastewater Bills at 4,000
and 15,000 Gallons per Month, 2007-2018(Nwater=245 & Nwastewater=201)
$17.68
$27.04
$50.19
$78.23
$21.10
$32.86
$61.04
$94.55
$0.00
$10.00
$20.00
$30.00
$40.00
$50.00
$60.00
$70.00
$80.00
$90.00
$100.00
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Inside Water Rates, 4 Kgal Inside Water Rates, 15 Kgal
Inside Wastewater Rates, 4 Kgal Inside Wastewater Rates, 15 Kgal
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
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Median Water and Wastewater Bills at 4,000 Gallons
per Month for Large and Small Utilities, 2009-2018(NLarge=80 & NSmall=146)
$17.00
$19.00
$21.00
$23.00
$25.00
$27.00
$29.00
$31.00
$33.00
$35.00
$37.00
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Median Wastewater Bills at 4 Kgal, Small Utilities (<=10,000 Service Population)
Median Wastewater Bills at 4 Kgal, Large Utilities (>10,000 Service Population)
Median Water Bills at 4 Kgal, Small Utilities (<=10,000 Service Population)
Median Water Bills at 4 Kgal, Large Utilities (>10,000 Service Population)
Small
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: SDWIS and NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
The median
bill for small
utilities is
higher, both
for water
and
wastewater
at 4 Kgal
Small
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Weighted Median Water Bills at 4,000 Gallons
per Month, Relative to CPI-South, 2009-2018 (n=226)
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: SDWIS, BLS, and NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
SDWIS service population values were linearly interpolated for 2014 and 2015 based on values from 2013 and 2016.
$37.94
$27.54
$39.26
$27.48
$23.06
$26.53
18
22
26
30
34
38
2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 2029
Weighted Median Inside Water Bills at 4 Kgal
Weighted Median Inside Water Bills at 4 Kgal, Forecasting to 2030 (Full Dataset)
Weighted Median Inside Water Bills at 4 Kgal, Forecasting to 2030 (Last Five Years of Data)
Weighted Median Inside Water Bills at 4Kgal Rising at CPI, Based on Bills in 2009
Weighted Median Inside Water Bills at 4Kgal Rising at CPI, Forecasting to 2030 (Full Dataset)
Inside Water Bills at 4Kgal Rising at CPI, Forecasting to 2030 (Last Five Years of Data)
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Weighted Median Wastewater Bills at 4,000 Gallons
per Month, Relative to CPI-South, 2009-2018 (n=226)
$48.74
$32.86
$46.64
$32.01
$26.86
$30.91
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 2029
Weighted Median Inside Wastewater Bills at 4 Kgal
Weighted Median Inside Wastewater Bills at 4 Kgal, Forecasting to 2030 (Based on Full Dataset)
Weighted Median Inside Wastewater Bills at 4 Kgal, Forecasting to 2030 (Based on Last Five Years of Data)
Weighted Median Inside Wastewater Bills at 4Kgal Rising at CPI, Forecasting to 2030 (Last Five Years of Data)
Weighted Median Inside Wastewater Bills at 4Kgal Rising at CPI, Forecasting to 2030 (Full Dataset)
Weighted Median Inside Wastewater Bills at 4Kgal Rising at CPI, Based on Bills in 2009
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: SDWIS, BLS, and NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
SDWIS service population values were linearly interpolated for 2014 and 2015 based on values from 2013 and 2016.
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Percent of Surveyed Service Population Paying More
than $40 for Water or $40 for Wastewater (2018
dollars), 2009-2018 (n=226 Utilities, 5.1-5.9 Million Customers)
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
18.00%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
% of Service Population Paying more than $40 for Wastewater at 4 Kgal (2018 Dollars)
% of Service Population Paying more than $40 for Water at 4 Kgal (2018 Dollars)
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: SDWIS, BLS, and NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
SDWIS service population values were linearly interpolated for 2014 and 2015 based on values from 2013 and 2016.
We see a
steeper rise
with
Wastewater
Bills
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TRENDS IN MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD
INCOME
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North Carolina Median Household Income, 2007-2017,
Forecasted to 2030, Relative to CPI-South (in 2017 dollars)
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, BLS-CPI, and NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The
cohort of utilities is consistent across all years.
$46,524.92
$63,691.55
$75,189.74
$60,725.12
$52,940.24
$42,000.00
$47,000.00
$52,000.00
$57,000.00
$62,000.00
$67,000.00
$72,000.00
$77,000.00
2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 2029
NC MHI
NC MHI Rising at CPI-South, Based on NC MHI in 2007
NC MHI, Forecasted to 2030 (Full Dataset)
NC MHI Rising at CPI, Based on NC MHI in 2007 (Full Dataset)
NC MHI, Forecasted to 2030 (Last Five Years of Data)
NC MHI Rising at CPI, Based on NC MHI in 2007, Forecasted to 2030 (Last Five Years of Data)
Despite falling
below CPI
between the
recession and
2016, NC MHI
has been rising
rapidly over the
last five years
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Percent of Utilities with Bills Greater than
1.5% MHI in 2010 vs. 2017 (Nwater=292 & Nwastewater=245)
Data analyzed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Data Sources: US Census Bureau American Community Survey and NC League of Municipalities and Environmental Finance Center's annual water & wastewater rates surveys. The cohort of
utilities is consistent across all years.
4%
10%
7%
15%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
Water Bills at 4Kgal (n=292) Wastewater Bills at 4Kgal (n=245)
Percent of Utilities Charging Greater than 1.5% MHI, 2010
Percent of Utilities Charging Greater than 1.5% MHI, 2017
A greater
proportion of
NC utilities are
charging more
than 1.5% MHI
in 2017 than
2010.
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So, what does this all mean?
Since 2009, in North Carolina, water and wastewater rates have risen faster than inflation.
Based on both the last ten years and last five years of data, rates are expected to continue
rising faster than inflation.
Median Household Income is rising, but only realigned with inflation in 2017.
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Looking forward…
• Affordability issues will continue to be a challenge
for utilities.
• Although MHI is beginning to rebound post-
recession, it is not a good representation of the
distribution of income.
• More customers are likely to struggle with rising bills
in future years. Customer assistance programs will
likely be even more crucial for customers in the
lowest income brackets.