Baltimore Spending Board Approves 3% Water Rate Hike For Next 3 Years
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore City Board of Estimates voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of the increasing water bills by 3.2% a year for the next three years.
That means a household paying $118.46 now will pay $130.21 by fiscal year 2025.
"It's awful," said city resident Andy Pollard. "We shouldn't have to pay that much for water."
DPW said the increase will be used to cover rising costs and infrastructure improvements.
"We desperately need to increase our investment in water, stormwater and sewer infrastructure," said City Comptroller Bill Henry.
Those who spoke at the hearing acknowledged the increase is the lowest in more than 25 years but also pointed out that the mayor's Water Accountability and Equity Act has yet to be fully implemented. Passed in 2019, it's said it could help with future rate increases.
It was pointed out that the 3.2% increase is less than inflation which currently sits at 8.6%, and that the next three years combined is still less than last year's increase which was 9.3%.
