Phoenix water rate hike goes into effect soon; here’s how much more you’ll pay - Arizona's Family

Rate hike for Phoenix water customers; here's how much you'll pay

Phoenix water rate hike goes into effect soon; here’s how much more you’ll pay

Editor’s Note: Video attached is from a previous story

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Phoenix residents can expect an increase in their water bills in March after the city council approved to increase the water rate in 2023.

Last year, the Phoenix City Council voted 7-2 for new rates that first took effect in October. The city’s first water rate increase was 6.5% in October, or about $2 monthly for the average user. This latest rate bump will be another 6.5% this March, which will come up to a similar amount before a sizable 13% increase, which takes effect in March 2025.

The council says the rate hikes will battle inflation and promote water conservation. Phoenix currently has different water rates depending on the season: higher in summer and cheaper in winter. Similar rate increases were also approved for wastewater.

Why are we paying more for water?

What other utilities are going up in cost?

The Arizona Corporation Commission recently approved a rate hike of about 8% for Arizona Public Service. It’ll roughly be an increase of $10.48 per month for the average customer. APS originally wanted a higher rate, which would have averaged an extra $10.59 per month.

APS says the increase is to recover costs already spent to maintain and upgrade the electric system and invest in infrastructure for the future. The utility provider, however, says it has increased assistance to their most vulnerable customers. Click/tap here for more information on financial help.

Arizona’s Family reported in November that Phoenix ranked 16th most expensive city for common household bills. Bill pay provider Doxo told On Your Side that city residents spend a whopping 44% of their income on household bills; that’s way higher than the national average.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.