Public Rate Hearing
THE MVWA WILL HOLD A PUBLIC RATE HEARING ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 AT 5:00 PM
The Mohawk Valley Water Authority (MVWA) will hold a public rate hearing at 5:00 p.m.
on Monday, October 17, 2022. The rate hearing will be held in the Common Council
Chambers on the first floor of Utica City Hall. The Board of Directors of the MVWA
is considering a water rate increase of 4.85% to take effect on January 1, 2023.
If approved, the water rate change will equate to approximately $20.60 per year in
higher water costs for the average household, or about $1.72 per month. The total
proposed budget for the coming fiscal year is approximately $29.6 million.
Some factors considered in the proposed budget include:
- An overall increase in non-personnel operating costs of 6% due to escalating
costs for goods, services, chemicals, and fuel.
- Additional debt service payments of $555,000 to support an expected bond
issuance to finance capital construction projects.
- An increase of 8% in the annual payment to the NYS Retirement System.
- An estimated increase in workers compensation insurance of more than 30%.
The water rate increase has been partially offset by a modest increase in water sales
of 1.75% as the economy has re-opened, along with the opening of the Wolfspeed microchip
plant. The proposed budget is also supported by $1.5 million in cash carried forward
from accumulated surpluses from prior years. In addition, approximately $200,000
of revenue is expected to be recovered with the recent implementation of a 2.5%
credit card fee that was previously absorbed by the Water Authority.
The MVWA Board of Directors will be considering the proposed rate structure at its regular
monthly meeting to be held at 5:00 p.m. one week later on Monday, October 24, 2022.The
board meeting will take place at the MVWA board room on the third floor of Utica City Hall.
The Mohawk Valley Water Authority is a regional agency that provides drinking water to
approximately 128,000 customers throughout 18 municipalities in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.
Contact the MVWA at 315-792-0301 or on the web at www.mvwa.us