Fresh Water, Foul Sewage
Special BOE meeting to be held tomorrow on latest water and sewer rate increases
The public is invited to react to the proposed sharp rise in utility bills. But the testimony is not likely to influence the outcome of the vote by the Board of Estimates.
Above: Citizens rally in front of City Hall for more affordable water in 2019. (Lizzie Kane)
The Board of Estimates will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) at City Hall to hear public feedback on the trifecta of water and sewage rate hikes planned between now and July 2026.
With the November general election safely in the rear-view mirror, the Scott administration last month proposed an unusual mid-year water and sewer rate hike, starting on February 1, 2025.
The 10% increase will be followed by a second 8.4% hike on July 1, 2025 and a third jump of equal size on July 1, 2026.
The three increases will push water, sewer and stormwater rates up by nearly 30% over the next 17 months in contrast to a slowdown of increases (3% yearly) during Mayor Scott’s first term in office.
By law, the BOE is required to hear from the public before imposing new utility bills.
Typically, a rate package is recommended by the directors of finance and public works and approved with minimal fuss at the BOE’s regular morning meeting.
But this year a separate evening meeting was scheduled to allow DPW and the public to address the board in its chambers (public testimony requires filling out this form).
Objections to rising rates will likely hold no sway on the outcome.
The board vote, to be taken after the testimony, is controlled by the mayor and his two appointees, City Solicitor Ebony Thompson and DPW Director Khalil Zaied. Comptroller Bill Henry is also expected to go along with the increases.
The position taken by the fifth member, Zeke Cohen, will be of interest as he introduces himself to the general public as the newly elected president of the City Council.
Officials gather for the May 10, 2021 ribbon-cutting of the Headworks project at Back River. Mayor Scott is third from right, between Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. (Facebook)
Scott: “We inherited a lot of crap”
According to DPW and the finance department, rising inflation, aging infrastructure and compliance with federal and state laws and mandates “require the city to make significant investments into the utilities to provide customers with safe drinking water and to keep waterways.”
Clean water and pollution-free waterways remain a challenge for DPW, which faced a state-mandated takeover of the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2022 (since rescinded), followed by an outbreak of high e coli readings in West Baltimore.
The city has invested large sums in hiring private contractors and undertaking expensive repairs at Back River, which Scott has blamed on disinvestment by prior administrations.
“The three of us,” Scott said last year, referring to himself, Henry and then-Council President Nick Mosby, “inherited a lot of crap, pun intended.”
The $430 million Headworks project, completed in 2021, was supposed to end pipe backups and reduce sewage overflows by 80%, but labor problems and technical challenges continue to crop up.
As a result, sewer rates are set to spike a full 15% on February 1 (offset by a lesser 3% rise in water rates) for the 200,000 residential and business customers in Baltimore City.
The new rates will hike the “typical” household water bill from $130 a month to $143 a month, according to DPW.
After July 1, 2025, the typical bill will jump to $155 a month and reach $168 a month after July 1, 2026.
Below is a DPW chart of water rate increases, which nearly tripled in the 26 years between 1998 and 2024.
The latest rate increase will be the highest in five years.
