Water bills to go up $41 a year for average Buffalo households - Buffalo News

Water bills to rise $41 a year for average Buffalo homes

The average residential water customer in Buffalo will see a $41 a year increase on their bill because of rate hikes approved by the Buffalo Water Board that went into effect Oct. 1.

Authority officials attributed the bulk of the increased costs to ongoing price hikes for chemicals and higher rates for outside contractors, plus ongoing commitment to upgrade the county's water treatment and supply system.

The average Buffalo residential customer paid $411 a year for water before the hike, and will now pay $452 annually, a 9.9% increase.

That increase, which is based on consumption of 70,000 gallons of water, includes the capacity charge and consumption rates that 68,000 city households pay.

The rate hike will affect roughly 90% of Buffalo’s water customers who have meters to track their usage, said Oluwole McFoy, chairman of the Buffalo Water Board.

The city’s last water rate increase was in 2019.

The reason for restructuring the water fees and rates is due to inflation associated with project costs, McFoy said.

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“We have seen an increase in inflation, which has also made our capital projects more expensive, and so, when we project out how much money we have to spend to continue to renew our system, that’s what we take into account,” he said. “It’s been four years since we’ve raised rates. And that’s why we’re looking at it right now. We have a number of initiatives that we have going out. This past year, we did a $33 million bond for our capital projects, and so, that’s to build; that’s to renew; that’s to do great projects throughout our system.”

In 2019, the Water Board initiated its Residential Affordable Water Program to help customers with low incomes and senior citizen users.

This year, the board implemented a roughly 35% increase in the credits available for users enrolled in the affordable water program to ensure “our most vulnerable are taken care of and can afford the water services,” McFoy said.

“We didn’t leave them the same as they were in 2019. We knew it was necessary to increase them, because as costs are going up, folks’ salaries aren’t necessarily following that, and so we want to make sure that we’re aware of that, and that we’re seeking to make sure that we hold up our low-income customers,” McFoy said.

Under the new discounts:

- Eligible low-income customers can receive a credit of $6.83 per month.
- For eligible very low-income customers, it is a $9.33 per month discount.
- Low-income seniors see a 65% discount off their total bill.

“Seniors pay roughly $15.83 per month,” McFoy said. “We make sure that they are eligible for both programs.”

Seniors with very low-incomes will pay $13.33 per month under the affordable water program.

“They’re getting our low-income and the very low-income, as well as the senior discount,” McFoy said.

Residents can sign up for the affordable water program at getwaterwisebuffalo.org.

Meanwhile, Erie County Water Authority customers, which include most suburban county residents, will pay on average $371 a year for water, according to the ECWA, but that is based on consumption of 56,000 gallons.

Buffalo's water system now contains far lower measurements of fluoride, which boosts dental health and guards against tooth decay, than what public health experts recommend. That puts Buffalo in the minority both nationally and in New York State.

McFoy acknowledged that Buffalo residents may not welcome the rate hike, particularly since property taxes and sanitation fees were increased in the city’s current fiscal budget.

“We really and truly are aware of that. As prices increase, those prices, unfortunately, get passed onto us as the utility, and then, ultimately, (our customers),” he said.

This fiscal year, the city of Buffalo’s homestead tax rate is $10.73 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, up from $10.27 in last year’s budget. The commercial property tax rate is $18.72, up from $18.17.

That amounted to an additional $46 a year in taxes on a $100,000 home.

Garbage fees went up about 8% for residential properties, and 11% for commercial properties.

A 65-gallon tote increased to $19.89 a year for homeowners, with a 95-gallon tote increasing to $22.28. A 65-gallon tote for commercial properties went up to $29.25, with a 95-gallon tote rising to $32.75.