Public has four chances to weigh in on proposed Lancaster water rate hike of nearly 30%

The public has four opportunities to provide input about Lancaster’s proposed water rate hike of nearly 30% for customers outside of the city.

In-person public hearings are at 1 and 6 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Manheim Township Municipal Office public meeting room at 1840 Municipal Drive. Call-in only public hearings are at 1 and 6 p.m. Dec. 16.

To participate in a call-in hearing, dial 866-759-6860 and enter PIN number 71568747 when prompted. Speak your name when prompted, and press #. Then the telephone system will connect to the hearing.

Registration to speak at a state Public Utility Commission hearing is encouraged but not required. If you wish to testify, you are encouraged to pre-register with the PUC Office of Administrative Law Judge by 4 p.m. Dec. 12. Those who pre-register will be called to testify at the hearing in the order in which they pre-register. If you want to just listen to a hearing, preregistration is not necessary.

To pre-register, call legal assistant Christina Biggica at 717-783-5453 or by email at cbiggica@pa.gov and provide the following information: first and last name; the phone number used to call into hearing; a phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if needed; and email address.

If you have exhibits to which you will refer during the hearing, email them by Dec. 10 to cbiggica@pa.gov.

Rate hike details

In November, the PUC suspended the proposed Lancaster Bureau of Water rate increase for up to seven months in order to investigate and collect public input.

Under the water rate hike request announced by the city in early October, the total bill for a residential customer using 4,500 gallons per month with a 5/8 inch meter would increase from $29.53 to $38.32 per month, or by 29.8%.

The total bill for a commercial customer using 73,100 gallons per month with a 2-inch meter would increase from $361.75 to $460.14, or by 27.2%. Rates for an industrial customer using 419,600 gallons per month with a 2-inch meter would increase from $1,730.08 to $2,159.72, or by 24.8%.

The overall rate increase is $7,005,217 per year, or 30.9%.

The primary reason for the rate increase is to recoup the added capital investment in the city’s water facilities, the city said in announcing its proposal.

The City of Lancaster provides drinking water to 120,000 people through 49,000 taps in the city and nine surrounding municipalities, including East Hempfield, East Lampeter, Lancaster, Manheim, Manor, Pequea, West Hempfield and West Lampeter townships and Millersville Borough. The system also serves four bulk customers including West Earl, East Petersburg, Upper Leacock and Penn townships, according to the city’s website.

The last time the city increased water rates was in 2021.

For more information about the proposed increase or to find out how the requested increase may affect your water bill, contact the city of Lancaster’s customer service office at 717-735-3425.