The action means water and sewer customers will face higher utility charges in the new fiscal year. The approved budget also sets spending levels for city services, including police, fire, streets, water and sewer operations.

Utility funds

The budget appropriates $9,288,338 for the Water Fund and $6,994,688 for the Sewer Fund. Those funds support the city’s water and sewer operations as the rate increases take effect during the new fiscal year.

The percentage increases apply to the rates, but the exact dollar change on an individual bill will vary based on the customer’s existing charges and water or sewer use. A household’s new total cannot be determined from the percentage alone.

The council’s approval of the rate increases was reported alongside its approval of the 2026-27 budget. The action was not a proposal awaiting council consideration; it was the council’s approved decision for the upcoming fiscal year.

Spending across city services

The adopted budget includes $44,387,631 in General Fund appropriations. Within that spending plan, the Police Department is allocated $8,358,272, the Fire Department is allocated $7,052,282 and Streets is allocated $5,838,525.

Those appropriations establish the planned funding levels for several of the city services most visible to residents. Police and fire funding covers the budgeted allocations for public safety departments, while the Streets appropriation covers the city’s planned spending in that department. The Water and Sewer Fund appropriations are listed separately from the General Fund.

For residents, the immediate financial effect of the council’s action is the approved increase in utility rates. For the city, the budget provides the spending framework for the 2026-27 fiscal year and assigns funding across general government, public safety, streets and utility operations.

The approved budget does not by itself provide a single bill amount for every water or sewer customer. Customers will need the applicable rate schedule and their own usage information to determine the change to a particular bill.

At the same time, customers are seeing higher water and sewer charges. The town’s FY2027 water rates increased 3%, while sewer rates increased 5%. The new rates began appearing on bills issued in July 2026.

What outdoor water use is allowed

Under the Level 5 rules, residents and businesses may use hand-held hoses and watering cans only between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. That overnight window is the permitted period identified in the town’s notice for those forms of outdoor watering.

Sprinklers and irrigation systems are prohibited. The restrictions also prohibit filling swimming pools and washing cars. The rules therefore affect common household and business activities, including lawn and landscape watering, pool maintenance and vehicle washing.

The town’s enforcement structure starts with a warning letter for a first violation. Subsequent violations may result in a $300 fine. The announcement does not state a date for lifting the Level 5 restrictions, so the approved notice does not establish when the limits will end.

Higher water and sewer bills

The rate changes were included in town notices dated July 1 and July 21, 2026. For FY2027, the water-rate increase is 3% and the sewer-rate increase is 5%, affecting customers connected to Danvers’ water and sewer system.

Danvers projected that an average family using 12,000 cubic feet of water annually would pay $21.50 more per quarter. The town described that as a 3.87% combined increase for that average usage profile.

The $21.50 amount is an estimate for the town’s stated average family, not a fixed increase for every household or business. A customer’s actual change depends on usage and the applicable rate information. The notice does not provide the previous and new dollar rates per unit, so it does not allow an exact bill comparison from the announcement alone.

What customers should know

Danvers water and sewer customers face two changes beginning in July: outdoor water use is more restricted, and service costs more under the FY2027 schedule. For now, the town’s notice identifies the July 21 effective date and the permitted watering hours but does not provide a later deadline or lifting date for Level 5.

The City of Brookland’s 2026 ordinance list identifies the measure as Ordinance 2026-06. The ordinance was enacted June 9, 2026, and establishes water-sewer rates through the end of December 2030.

What the records show

The ordinance applies to Brookland’s water and wastewater systems. That makes the action directly relevant to household utility costs as well as expenses for commercial properties and local businesses that rely on city water or sewer service.

The accessible online ordinance index confirms the multiyear schedule, but it does not expose the individual rate amounts or the effective dates for each rate tier. The available records therefore do not establish whether the rates are higher or lower than the previous schedule, and they do not support calculating a typical household bill.

Residents and businesses will need the full ordinance text or the city’s rate tables to determine the charge for a particular account, service tier or level of water use. The published index alone does not provide enough information to make that calculation.

Other city planning activity

Brookland’s official records also list a 2026 budget amendment and an application related to sidewalk funding. Those entries indicate that the city is handling utility, budget and infrastructure matters during the same year, although the available records do not state that either item changes the water or sewer schedule.

The city’s official website lists a City Council meeting for Aug. 11, 2026. The meeting is a future point on the city calendar following the ordinance’s appearance in the 2026 code list, but the supplied records do not identify any agenda item or action at that meeting concerning the adopted rates.

Brookland context

Brookland’s official website identifies the community as a first-class city in Craighead County and lists its population as 4,064. For those residents, homeowners, renters and businesses served by the city systems, Ordinance 2026-06 provides a rate schedule extending across several years.

The next practical step for customers seeking the financial impact is access to the ordinance’s full rate tables and implementation dates. Those details were not available in the accessible ordinance index reviewed for this report.

The rate announcement came as the city continues addressing a significant budget problem. The Sacramento City Council approved the city’s 2026-27 budget in June 2026, closing an approximately $66 million shortfall through a combination of vacant-position reductions, fee changes and spending cuts.

What the budget resolved

The adopted budget covers fiscal year 2026-27 and is balanced, according to reporting from CapRadio and the city’s budget materials. The reductions and changes were part of the city’s broader effort to close the gap rather than a solution attributed solely to water or sewer operations.

That distinction matters for utility customers. The planned water and sewer increases are one part of a larger fiscal picture, not an explanation for the entire shortfall. The approved budget also includes changes involving city positions, fees and spending.

The City of Sacramento’s official operating-budget document provides the fiscal framework and departmental spending context for 2026-27. It identifies city utility and public-service budget programs, including the municipal water and sewer functions affected by the rate plans.

Another shortfall is projected

The city’s budget pressure is expected to continue. Sacramento projects an approximately $35.8 million deficit in fiscal year 2027-28, according to CapRadio’s review of the city budget.

That projected gap is smaller than the approximately $66 million shortfall addressed in the 2026-27 budget, but it signals that the city’s fiscal challenges are not limited to one budget cycle. The rate plans are therefore being announced while officials are managing both current budget decisions and a projected future shortfall.

For residents, the immediate practical issue is the potential increase in monthly water and sewer costs. However, the approved source record does not support saying that every customer’s bill will rise by the same amount. It also does not provide enough detail to calculate a typical household’s expected increase.

Details still need confirmation

The Sacramento Bee reported the planned water and sewer rate increases on July 29, 2026. The reporting places the announcement in the context of the adopted 2026-27 budget and the city’s ongoing fiscal pressure.

The available record does not include the city’s final rate ordinance or a complete implementation schedule. Before publication of customer-specific information, those documents should be checked for the final rates, effective dates and any differences among rate tiers.

What is confirmed is the direction of the policy: Sacramento officials have announced scheduled water and sewer increases while the city implements its 2026-27 budget. The broader fiscal backdrop includes the approximately $66 million shortfall closed in that budget and the approximately $35.8 million deficit projected for 2027-28.

The Teachey Board of Commissioners approved the budget at its regular meeting on June 8, 2026, after a public hearing. The approval was reported by the Duplin Journal on June 18.

The available source material does not state the new property-tax rate, the previous rate or the dollar savings for a typical homeowner. It also does not provide a typical monthly utility bill or the dollar effect of the rate increases. That means the packet does not support a household-by-household comparison of the tax reduction and utility costs.

Utility increases will be phased in

The water and sewer changes follow an earlier board vote on March 9. Under the schedule, rates are set to increase 2% beginning in July 2026. An additional 3% increase is planned for the following month, followed by another 5% increase in June 2027.

Together, the scheduled changes amount to a planned 10% cumulative increase. The town is using the phased adjustments to address operating costs and bring water and sewer revenue closer to recommended rates, according to the reported information.

Implementation had been delayed while Teachey updated its billing software. The approved source material does not say when that work was completed or identify a billing date beyond the planned July 2026 start for the first increase.

The budget decision therefore does not establish a single net effect for every household. Property-tax bills can be affected by the lower municipal rate, while utility costs can vary based on the rates and a customer’s water and sewer use. The available report does not provide enough figures to calculate either impact for a typical resident.

Townhome-overlay hearing remains separate

A separate public hearing was scheduled for a proposed townhome-overlay ordinance tied to a developer request near N.C. 11. That matter is separate from the adopted budget and the scheduled utility-rate changes.

The hearing does not establish that the townhome project or the overlay ordinance was approved. The source packet does not provide a final vote or outcome for the proposal.

Teachey’s official website provides town notices and board-meeting information. The town identifies Teachey Town Hall at 137 E. 2nd Street, Teachey, NC 28464.

The Fontana City Council adopted Resolution No. 2026-068 on June 23, 2026. The resolution approves maximum sewer service charges for fiscal years 2026-27 through 2030-31, with the first scheduled customer-rate change beginning July 1, 2026.

What the first increase changes

For the rate study’s regular customer class, the Fontana collection portion is now $14.55 per month per equivalent dwelling unit, an increase of $1.92 from the previous $12.63 charge.

The city’s wastewater rate study lists a regular customer’s total monthly charge at $44 for fiscal year 2026-27 when the listed Inland Empire Utilities Agency treatment charge is included. The study lists the previous regular-customer total at $39.65.

The $44 figure is an example based on the regular customer class and the treatment amount used in the study. Sewer bills can differ by customer class, equivalent dwelling units and the agency providing treatment.

Fontana’s collection charge is separate from treatment charges assessed by IEUA or, where applicable, the City of Rialto. Those treatment amounts are passed through to customers and may change independently of Fontana’s collection schedule.

Additional increases are scheduled

The adopted maximum city collection charges for the regular customer class are scheduled to be:

• $16.01 effective July 1, 2027
• $17.61 effective July 1, 2028
• $19.37 effective July 1, 2029
• $21.31 effective July 1, 2030

These are future scheduled maximum collection charges, not amounts that all customers are already paying. The schedule runs through fiscal year 2030-31.

Why the council approved the plan

The council report and Raftelis rate study say existing rates would not fully cover the wastewater system’s operating expenses, capital needs and reserve targets. The study found that, without rate increases over the study period, the city’s sewer reserves would be fully depleted by fiscal year 2028 and the system would fail to meet its reserve target.

The rate plan is intended to provide phased revenue increases for operations and maintenance, capital replacement and improvement, debt obligations and reserve requirements. Those are the city’s and consultant’s stated financial findings supporting the rate adjustment.

Public hearing and protests

The rate change followed a Proposition 218 notice and public-hearing process. The council held the hearing on June 23, 2026, and the adopted resolution states that the city did not receive written protests from a majority of affected parcel owners or tenants directly liable for the charges.

The June 23 council action and the July 1 implementation date are separate parts of the process: the council adopted the resolution on June 23, while the first scheduled customer rate became effective July 1.

What Fontana customers should watch

Residents reviewing their bills should separate the Fontana collection charge from the treatment pass-through charge. For the regular customer example, the first-year city collection amount is $14.55 per month, while the study’s listed $44 total includes a separate treatment component.

Future treatment charges may change independently, so a customer’s total bill will not necessarily rise only according to Fontana’s collection schedule. Customers should check the applicable customer class, equivalent dwelling-unit calculation and treatment provider when comparing a bill with the figures in the city’s study.

Sources

• Fontana Resolution No. 2026-068
• Fontana wastewater rate study

The city estimates that the combined rate changes will increase a typical single-family residential utility bill by 6.36%, or about $10.20 per month. That estimate does not include a separate Flood Safety Benefit Fee, which is about $1.20 per month for a typical customer.

Water, sewer and stormwater rates

Sewer and stormwater rates increased 5.15% on July 1. Water rates increased 8.1%.

The city’s combined estimate applies to a typical single-family residential customer. Individual bills can change by more or less depending on water use, property characteristics and account type.

Portland says the higher rates support the operation, maintenance and improvement of its drinking-water, wastewater and stormwater systems. The city cites rising costs for materials, equipment and workers, along with repairs and replacements for aging pipes, pump stations and treatment facilities, urgent work and environmental-regulatory requirements.

Flood-safety fee is separate

Customers also began seeing a new Flood Safety Benefit Fee on July 1. It is collected through the city utility bill, but it is not a water, sewer or stormwater rate.

For a typical single-family customer, the fee is $3.60 on a 90-day quarterly bill, or about $1.20 per month. Portland says the fee funds the city’s required payments to the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District, which maintains levees, pump stations and other flood-protection infrastructure along the Columbia River.

What the utility charges support

Portland’s Water Bureau and Environmental Services say the added revenue supports routine operations and maintenance as well as long-term capital work needed to keep the systems reliable and meet regulatory requirements.

One major project is the Bull Run Filtration Project. Portland says the project is needed to comply with federal and state drinking-water regulations and will remove Cryptosporidium, sediment and organic material from the city’s water supply. The city also says filtration will help prepare the drinking-water system for wildfires, extreme weather and other emergencies.

According to the Water Bureau, about 40% of planned water-rate increases will pay for the filtration project. Other planned work includes replacing aging sewer pipes and pumps and expanding treatment capacity at the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Rates adopted with the fiscal-year budget

The rate decisions were part of Portland’s fiscal-year 2026-27 budget process and related City Council action. The council passed the water-rate ordinance on May 27, 2026. The ordinance sets water rates for the fiscal year running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and records an overall average retail water-rate increase of 8.1%.

The council passed the city’s amended FY 2026-27 adopted budget on June 17, 2026. The ordinance sets the total budget at $8,537,051,372 and establishes appropriations for the fiscal year that began July 1.

Customers comparing a new bill should check the prior bill’s usage and billing period, not just the total dollar difference. The city’s $10.20 figure is an estimate for a typical household, not a guaranteed increase for every Portland account. The separate Flood Safety Benefit Fee may add roughly another $1.20 per month for a typical customer.

Sources

• Portland Water Bureau: Sewer, stormwater and water rates increase July 1, 2026

The city says all listed fees are effective July 1. The effect on an individual household will vary because water charges depend on usage and meter size, sewer charges are listed separately from the sewer lateral maintenance fee, and garbage charges depend on cart size.

Water charges include a base fee and usage tiers

For the common 5/8-inch and 3/4-inch residential meters, the monthly water base fee is $32.45. The city lists a $47.51 monthly base fee for a 1-inch meter.

Brentwood measures residential water use monthly, with one unit equal to 1,000 gallons. The current usage schedule is:

• $3.67 per unit for 1 to 5 units
• $7.60 per unit for 6 to 14 units
• $9.60 per unit for 15 to 20 units
• $9.71 per unit for 21 units and above

The base fee and usage charge are separate parts of the water bill. The city also lists a possible drought surcharge of $0.51 per unit if the City Council declares a required 10% water-use reduction. That surcharge is conditional and should not be treated as a charge that applies in every billing period.

Sewer and lateral maintenance are separate line items

The current residential schedule lists sewer usage charges from $20.72 to a maximum of $74.90, depending on the applicable charge.

A separate sewer lateral maintenance fee is listed at $4.34. Residents reviewing a bill should keep that fee separate from the sewer usage charge.

Garbage cost depends on the brown cart size

Monthly residential garbage charges are based on the size of the selected brown household trash cart. The city lists these options:

• 32-gallon cart: $37.98
• 64-gallon cart: $52.31
• 96-gallon cart: $68.94

Recycling and organic-waste carts have separate size options, while garbage service is provided weekly and recycling and organic waste are collected on alternating weeks. The city says new customers also pay a one-time, nonrefundable $51.84 application fee on the first utility bill.

When Brentwood bills are mailed

Brentwood sends monthly utility bills in four cycles. Bills are mailed approximately on the 26th, 19th, 12th or 5th day of the month, depending on the property’s cycle. The city provides a cycle map so customers can identify the schedule for their property.

Because billing dates differ, not every household will see the new schedule on the same August date. Residents should compare the bill’s service period and line items with the city’s current rate table.

What earlier rate decisions mean

The July 2026 charges follow the adopted 2023 water, wastewater and solid-waste rate studies. The city’s water and wastewater study describes a five-year rate schedule intended to support operating costs, capital needs and reserve funding.

Those studies are historical policy context. The current billing page, which says the fees are effective July 1, 2026, is the controlling source for the charges now listed.

In July 2025, the City Council separately approved a reduction in one planned fiscal-year 2025/26 water increase, lowering that planned increase from 6.5% to 4%. That earlier action should not be substituted for the current July 1, 2026 rate schedule.

How residents can review a bill

Residents should check their water usage, meter size, sewer line items and brown garbage-cart size against the city’s current rates. An exact monthly total cannot be calculated without account-specific service details.

Questions about a particular account can be directed to Brentwood Utility Billing at (925) 516-5415. Questions about garbage service can be directed to Solid Waste at (925) 516-6090.

Sources

• Brentwood Rates & Billing Information

The action moves the proposal toward a public hearing, but it does not approve the new charges. The council is scheduled to consider the proposed rates on November 17, 2026, after affected property owners have received notice and had an opportunity to submit protests and comments.

What the proposal could mean for sewer bills

If the rates are adopted, the first adjustment would take effect January 1, 2027. The city estimates that a typical single-family customer’s combined bimonthly sewer bill would rise from $93.28 to $122.61 in the first year, an increase of $29.33 per billing cycle, or about $14.67 per month.

For Ruby Hill customers, the proposed combined bimonthly bill would rise from $166.68 to $213.01, an increase of $46.33 per billing cycle, or about $23.17 per month. The city’s bill estimates include applicable regional wastewater treatment charges that are passed through to customers.

Commercial and industrial customers would not all see the same change. Under the proposed structure, an office or retail account in the city’s “All-Other” category would see an estimated $271.66 increase per bimonthly cycle, while a full-service restaurant example would rise by an estimated $463.54 per cycle. Actual bills would depend on customer classification and water use.

Rate structure and connection fees

The proposal would revise the rate structure for residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and school customers. The city says commercial and industrial charges would move to a single collection rate based on actual water use rather than separate rates tied to business categories.

The proposal also includes updated sewer connection fees for new development or changes in use that increase demand on the system. Those one-time fees are separate from the Proposition 218 rate protest process. The city has proposed increasing the single-family sewer connection fee from $556.24 to $2,250 in fiscal year 2027.

Why Pleasanton says rates need to change

Pleasanton says its first comprehensive sewer-rate study is intended to align charges more closely with the cost of operating, maintaining, rehabilitating and replacing the wastewater system. The city says past rate adjustments relied mainly on the Consumer Price Index and did not fully account for long-term infrastructure and regulatory costs.

The city and the sewer-rate study identify aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance, capital improvements, operating costs and regulatory requirements as reasons for the proposed changes. Those are the city’s stated justifications for the proposal, not a final determination that the rates will be adopted.

What the Proposition 218 process means

Under the process approved July 27, Pleasanton must mail Proposition 218 public-hearing notices by September 18, 2026. The notices are expected to identify the proposed charges, explain how property owners can submit written protests and provide details for the public hearing.

The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Affected property owners can participate by following the instructions in the official notice and by speaking or submitting comments at the hearing, subject to the city’s procedures.

Key dates

• September 18, 2026: Last day for the city to mail Proposition 218 notices.
• November 17, 2026: Public hearing and potential council action on the proposed rates.
• January 1, 2027: Proposed effective date for the first rate adjustment if adopted.

For Pleasanton sewer customers, the proposal remains subject to public review and final council action. Until the November hearing and any subsequent adoption, the projected increases are not charges that customers must pay.

Sources

• City of Pleasanton sewer-rate update
• Pleasanton Weekly council agenda preview

The affected households receive water service through the City of Wyoming. For that Wyoming-served area, the commodity rate is increasing from $4.20 to $4.58 per unit. A second increase is scheduled for January 2027, when the rate is expected to rise to $4.99 per unit.

Who is affected

The increase does not apply to every Kentwood resident. It affects households west of Breton Road that receive water service through Wyoming’s regional system.

Residents elsewhere in Kentwood should check which water system serves their property before assuming this specific rate change applies to their bill.

What it means for bills

FOX 17 reported that the two-step change represents an overall increase of about 18%. The city estimates that an average affected household will pay approximately $15.75 more per quarterly billing cycle, or about $63 more per year.

Those are estimates, not a guaranteed increase for every customer. Actual costs will vary with household water use and the charges included in a customer’s bill.

Why the rates are increasing

Kentwood Finance Director Kayla Garcia told FOX 17 that costs connected to regional water infrastructure in Wyoming are being passed through to customers in the Wyoming-served portion of Kentwood. She also said the increases are needed to maintain reliable water and sewer infrastructure as demand and regional-system costs change.

The city phased in the increase over two steps instead of applying the full change at once. The first step began July 1, 2026. The second step is scheduled for January 2027 and had not yet been charged as of August 2, 2026.

Regional utility context

The City of Grand Rapids’ 2025 final water and sewer rate study shows that Kentwood participates in a regional utility framework serving multiple customer communities. The study says rates are calculated using community operating and capital costs, customer usage and other system requirements. It also lists Kentwood-specific regional rates effective January 1, 2026.

That study provides background on the regional rate-setting system, but it is not the direct approval record for Kentwood’s July 2026 increase. The July and January rate changes described here come from the Kentwood action and the exact-market reporting by FOX 17.

Affected residents should check whether their property is west of Breton Road and served through Wyoming, then review the next quarterly bill for the updated commodity charge. Households outside that service area may not be affected by this specific increase.

Sources

• FOX 17 report on Kentwood water and sewer rate increases
• City of Grand Rapids 2025 Final Water & Sewer Rate Study

For those sewer-only customers, the city lists a $70.40 flat quarterly sewer charge. The schedule also lists a $26.54 quarterly ready-to-serve charge for a 5/8-inch meter. Together, those charges equal a listed minimum of $96.94 per quarter before other applicable charges.

Who pays the sewer-only charge

The $70.40 charge does not apply to every Wyoming utility customer. The city’s rate sheet says it applies to customers connected only to the City of Wyoming sewer system.

Customers connected to city sewer also have a ready-to-serve charge based on meter size. For sewer-only customers, the schedule directs the city to use the current 5/8-inch ready-to-serve rate of $26.54.

Properties receiving both city water and sewer service are billed through the city’s regular water-and-sewer rate structure, which includes applicable meter-based ready-to-serve charges and usage charges.

What the $96.94 figure means

The listed sewer-only minimum combines:

• $70.40 for the quarterly sewer-only flat charge;
• $26.54 for the 5/8-inch sewer ready-to-serve charge.

The calculation is $70.40 plus $26.54, or $96.94 per quarter. That figure is not a complete bill for every sewer-only property. It is the minimum shown by the rate schedule before any other applicable charges, account-specific details or service-related costs.

How regular sewer billing is calculated

The July 2026 schedule lists a sewer commodity rate of $4.82 per 100 cubic feet of water.

For residential customers, sewer usage is based on the winter-quarter calculation. For each of the three quarters following the winter quarter, the city applies a 15% factor toward the winter-quarter rate. The method therefore does not simply use each quarter’s actual water consumption for residential sewer billing.

Industrial and commercial properties are calculated differently: The schedule says their sewer charges are based on actual water use per quarter. Meter size also determines the applicable ready-to-serve charge.

Checking an account

The total amount due for a specific property depends on its service connection, meter size, applicable usage calculation and any other charges on the account.

The city’s Utilities page provides links for utility-bill lookup and payment, water-and-sewer rates, and a customer portal for monitoring water usage. Property owners and renters starting service can use the city’s water-and-sewer service process to confirm account information and billing responsibility.

The rate schedule also states that a penalty of 10% of current water and sewer charges will be added to a bill paid after its due date.

Residents, property owners and businesses should review their city utility account or contact the City of Wyoming Treasurer’s utility billing office for property-specific information. The July 1 schedule establishes the rates, but it does not determine the final bill for an individual property without the account’s service and usage details.

Sources

• Water and sewer rates effective July 1, 2026

The measures would authorize future borrowing or continue an existing tax. They would not approve five fully designed construction plans or make all of the money available immediately.

Election details

Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on August 4. The Kansas City Election Board has posted sample ballots and fair-ballot language for the election. Voters should check the official ballot wording and polling information before voting.

Water and sewer bonds

One question would authorize up to $750 million in waterworks revenue bonds. The bonds could support rehabilitation, improvement and expansion of Kansas City’s water system, including the acquisition of necessary land and rights of way.

Those bonds would be repaid solely from revenues generated by the waterworks system. The ordinance authorizes the city to set rates and charges sufficient to operate the system and repay the debt. Approval could therefore affect future water bills, although the final effect would depend on the timing of bond sales, the projects selected, financing terms and later system decisions.

A separate question would authorize up to $750 million in sanitary-sewer revenue bonds for rehabilitation, improvement and expansion of the city’s sewer system. Like the water bonds, principal and interest would be paid from sewer-system revenues rather than directly from the city’s property-tax-backed general fund.

The sewer ordinance also authorizes rate-setting and says the council intends to structure issuance to minimize the effect on ratepayers. It does not establish a final project list, borrowing schedule or guaranteed future rate increase.

Affordable housing and older civic facilities

The third question would authorize up to $100 million in general-obligation bonds for affordable housing through the Housing Trust Fund. The ballot language covers rehabilitation, renovation and construction of houses and buildings, including blight removal, to provide affordable housing for very low- to moderate-income households.

The fourth would authorize up to $100 million in general-obligation bonds for convention facilities and government buildings constructed before 1950. Local reporting has identified Bartle Hall, Municipal Auditorium and City Hall among the facilities connected to the proposed work.

The city describes both general-obligation measures as “no tax increase” initiatives because the new debt would be issued over time as existing general-obligation debt is retired. That is a description of the proposed debt-service structure, not a permanent guarantee that city taxes can never change. The measures authorize borrowing capacity; they do not themselves approve final construction contracts or designs.

Targeted Central City sales tax

The fifth question would renew the Central City Economic Development sales tax for 10 years at a rate of 1/8 percent. The existing tax is scheduled to expire September 30, 2027; if voters approve the renewal, the new authorization would begin October 1, 2027.

Revenue would be limited to economic-development projects in the area bounded by Ninth Street on the north, Gregory Boulevard on the south, The Paseo on the west and Indiana Avenue on the east. The ballot language also allows the revenue to be used to retire debt from previously authorized bonded indebtedness or repay bonds not yet issued.

Because of those geographic limits, approval would not mean that every Kansas City neighborhood would receive direct project benefits.

What a yes vote would do

A yes vote on the bond questions would give the city authority to issue debt later, subject to financing decisions and project planning. It would not mean that the full $1.7 billion in bond authority would be borrowed immediately.

For utility customers, the key issue is that water and sewer debt is tied to system revenues and could influence future rates. For taxpayers, the housing and civic-facility measures rely on the city’s explanation that debt issuance will coincide with the retirement of existing debt. For residents and businesses in the Central City area, the sales-tax question would continue a narrowly targeted economic-development program for another decade.

The Kansas City Election Board’s official sample ballot and fair-ballot materials provide the final voter-facing language for all five questions before polls close at 7:00 p.m. on August 4.

Sources

• Kansas City Election Board sample ballots and fair-ballot language
• Kansas City Ordinances 260481, 260482, 260484 and 260485
• The Beacon ballot guide

The final adoption record authorizes $155,313,033 in General Fund expenditures, including $55,778,897 for schools. The adopted plan also includes $22,609,617 in enterprise-fund expenditures, $1,068,000 in Community Preservation Act spending and $3,139,500 in revolving-fund spending authorizations.

Sewer rate rises to $22.01 per thousand gallons

For FY2027, Gloucester’s sewer rate is $22.01 per thousand gallons, compared with $19.89 in FY2026. The increase is $2.12 per thousand gallons, or 10.7%, according to the council’s adoption record.

The city’s water-sewer bills are issued quarterly. That means residents and businesses should see the new FY2027 rate applied through the regular billing cycle, although the actual change on an individual bill will depend on metered usage and the applicable billing details.

The council also appropriated $300,000 from sewer retained earnings to a reserved fund intended to help stabilize sewer user fees during FY2027. That action does not eliminate the approved sewer-rate increase.

Schools receive $55.8 million

The school appropriation is a single bottom-line amount of $55,778,897. It establishes the city’s adopted funding level for the School Department, but it does not by itself identify specific staffing, classroom or program changes. Those decisions are handled through the school system’s budget and administrative processes.

What the budget totals mean

The General Fund, enterprise funds, Community Preservation Act spending and revolving-fund authorizations are separate categories in the adopted financial plan. They should not be treated as one combined operating total or as a direct calculation of an individual household’s tax bill.

Utility rates and property-tax rates are also separate parts of Gloucester’s finances. The amount a property owner pays in property taxes depends on the property’s assessed value and the applicable tax rate, while a sewer bill depends in part on metered usage and the city’s approved utility rate.

Adopted budget versus earlier proposal

The mayor’s proposed FY2027 budget provides context about anticipated revenues, services, capital spending and other municipal costs. Those figures were proposal-stage figures, however. The City Council’s June 16 adoption record is the controlling source for the final spending amounts and rates described here.

For Gloucester residents and businesses, the next practical checkpoints are quarterly water-sewer bills issued under the new rate and the city’s implementation of the adopted FY2027 spending plan. The budget is already in effect; the remaining questions concern how the approved appropriations and utility rates are carried out during the fiscal year.

Sources

• Gloucester City Council FY2027 budget adoption record

The work is intended to replace aging equipment and address compliance issues involving the plant’s biogas flare. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026 and continue through the end of September 2027.

What the project will replace

The project centers on the plant’s primary digester, which uses a cover to contain and manage biogas produced during wastewater treatment. Ohio EPA documents describe the existing cover as aged and malfunctioning and identify a floating ballast-type cover as the selected replacement.

The associated work also includes bringing the biogas flare into compliance. The project is focused on maintaining and improving existing treatment operations rather than expanding the plant’s capacity.

Contractor and financing

City bid records identify North Bay Construction as the selected contractor. The city’s bid results list the awarded amount at $2,309,991, including project allowances.

Wadsworth plans to use Ohio’s Water Pollution Control Loan Fund to help finance the work. Sewer user charges are also part of the broader financing picture for the city’s wastewater system.

The project amount should be understood as the awarded bid total, not necessarily a final audited cost. The city and Ohio EPA documents describe the project as a planned construction effort that has not yet been completed.

What sewer customers should know

The immediate household-cost context is the 8.5% general sewer-rate increase adopted for 2026. Ohio EPA’s project review cites an average annual residential sewer bill of about $401.

The rate increase should not be described as being solely for the digester-cover replacement. It provides broader revenue for sewer-system financing and operations, while the wastewater project is being supported through a combination of state-backed loan financing and sewer user charges.

Timeline and site impacts

The work is planned within the existing wastewater treatment plant property. Ohio EPA found that the project is not expected to create significant environmental effects, and the improvements are not expected to increase wastewater-treatment capacity.

For Wadsworth sewer customers, the practical takeaway is that a major repair to existing treatment equipment is moving toward construction while higher sewer rates are already in effect. The expected timeline runs from summer 2026 through September 2027, so residents should expect the project to remain an active utility-system investment for more than a year.

Sources

• Ohio EPA project review
• Wadsworth bid posting

The Upton Select Board agenda identified a 6:15 p.m. hearing for July 21, 2026, with Department of Public Works Director Dennis Westgate listed as the presenter. The agenda confirms that the hearing was scheduled, but the available materials do not confirm that it occurred or that the Select Board completed a rate vote. Residents therefore should not assume that household or business bills have changed.

Why the hearing matters

Upton operates its water and wastewater services through enterprise funds. Those funds account for the costs of operating and maintaining the systems, with utility rates forming part of the revenue structure.

The town’s FY27 budget materials propose approximately $1.14 million in water enterprise-fund spending and $878,648 for wastewater. The FY27 utility budget meeting packet and FY27 budget book also show projected operating-cost changes in both divisions. Those pressures help explain why the town is reviewing rates, but they do not by themselves determine what a customer will pay.

A final bill impact would depend on the rate schedule approved by the Select Board, including any usage-based charges, fixed fees, effective date and billing rules. The available records do not provide enough information to calculate a typical residential or business increase.

Services affected by the decision

The town’s Water Division says it is responsible for water, sewer and drainage infrastructure. The division describes its systems as serving more than 3,000 residents, workers, students, shoppers and visitors each day. That means the rate process affects more than individual households: businesses, institutions and other users connected to the systems also may be affected by the eventual decision.

Rates can influence how the town pays for routine operations, maintenance and other utility needs. However, the budget materials should not be read as proof that every future infrastructure project or spending plan will be funded through the proposed rates.

What Upton customers should watch for

The next important documents would be a hearing record, a Select Board vote, an adopted water and sewer rate schedule, the date any rates take effect and billing guidance for customers. Until those materials are posted, the FY27 figures remain proposed budget amounts and the practical effect on bills remains unresolved.

Upton’s local code provides the framework for a public hearing and Select Board approval of water-use fees. That process supports the town’s review, but it is not evidence that FY27 rates were approved. Residents and businesses should rely on the town’s formal notice and adopted schedule for the final answer on rates.

Sources

• Upton Select Board agenda for July 21, 2026
• Upton Code, Article III: Fees for Water Use

For the first year of the three-year schedule, the annual charge is $744 for a single-family unit and $521 for a multifamily unit. That compares with $708 and $495, respectively, under the previous schedule.

Residents will see the charge on the property-tax bill

Residential customers should not expect a separate sewer bill from the City of Vista. The wastewater service charge is collected through the San Diego County property-tax roll, so homeowners should look for it on their county property-tax bill.

City materials describe the charge as a property-related wastewater service charge, not a tax. The billing method is changing, but the charge remains tied to the cost of providing sewer service to the property.

The new schedule also includes higher rates beginning July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028. Those are scheduled future rates and are not part of the first-year amount now in effect.

Business bills use several components

Commercial and industrial customers are handled differently from residential customers. The City sends annual statements, and the amount can depend on the customer’s classification and several billing components.

Those components may include fixed equivalent-dwelling-unit charges, wastewater strength and usage charges, extra-strength charges, and capacity-related charges. Businesses should review their annual statements rather than assume the new schedule creates one flat commercial rate.

The City’s public sewer-billing materials also describe an appeal process for business customers. However, the online guidance and the frequently asked questions document list different November 2026 dates. Businesses should confirm the current deadline and filing instructions directly with Vista before submitting an appeal.

Why the rates increased

The City’s 2026 wastewater rate study points to aging infrastructure, planned capital improvements, operating expenses, reserve needs, and the cost of wastewater treatment through the Encina Wastewater Authority.

At the May 26, 2026, City Council meeting, staff said the proposed increases were tied in part to capacity improvements identified in the sewer master plan and treatment costs. The council approved the three-year rate structure after a public hearing.

The rate study’s capital and cost projections describe planned financial needs. They should not be read as proof that every project listed in the study has already been completed.

Rebates and service boundaries

Eligible low-income customers may be able to reduce the charge through Vista’s Lifeline Rebate Program. Residents should check the City’s current eligibility requirements and application instructions before applying.

Not every address associated with Vista receives sewer service from the City of Vista. Some properties are served by Buena Sanitation District, which has a separate service area and rate structure. Property owners who are unsure which system serves their address should verify that information before comparing charges or filing questions about a bill.

For most Vista residents, the immediate steps are straightforward: check the county property-tax bill for the new wastewater charge, note that additional scheduled changes begin in July 2027 and July 2028, and contact the City if the service area, rebate eligibility, or billing amount is unclear.

Sources

• City of Vista sewer billing guidance

The council held the required public hearing on June 23 and placed Ordinance No. 1993 on the July 14 agenda for a second reading. The ordinance would authorize new or increased sewer service fees through a separate rate resolution. The July 14 meeting page lists the sewer item, but it also says the minutes remain in draft form and that actions taken on legislation and their results are not available.

What the city proposed

The city’s Proposition 218 notice lists a regular residential city collection charge of $12.63 per month currently and $14.55 beginning July 1, 2026, if the proposed adjustment is adopted. That would be a $1.92 monthly increase in the city collection component.

The notice also lists additional proposed city collection charges of $16.01 in 2027, $17.61 in 2028, $19.37 in 2029 and $21.31 in 2030. The schedule is described as a five-year plan, with adjustments beginning July 1, 2026, and continuing each July 1 through 2030.

Those figures apply to the city’s sewer collection charge, not necessarily the full amount on every customer’s bill. The city says the collection charge supports operation and maintenance of sewer lines and the conveyance system that moves wastewater toward treatment facilities.

Why Fontana says rates need to rise

A staff report based on a Raftelis financial study says existing rates would not sustain the Sewer Fund over the study period. The city cited higher operating costs, inflation, aging infrastructure, reserve needs and planned capital improvements.

Under a status-quo financial plan, the study found that the city would miss its reserve target each year and fully deplete available reserves by fiscal year 2028. The proposed increases are intended to support operations, maintain reserves and fund reinvestment in the wastewater collection system.

Why bills may differ

Fontana’s collection charge is separate from wastewater treatment charges assessed by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency or the City of Rialto, depending on the customer’s service arrangement. Those treatment charges can change independently and may be passed through on the regular sewer bill.

The city’s notice also contains different rate classes, including apartments, commercial and industrial customers, customers outside the city and Rialto-served accounts. That means residents should not assume every Fontana customer will see the same total bill.

What residents should check next

The clearest documented proposed change for a regular residential customer is the $1.92 increase in the city collection line. The currently posted records do not support saying that the increase was finally adopted or that every resident’s bill has already changed.

Residents should watch for finalized July 14 minutes, a posted action result, or a final ordinance and rate resolution. They should also compare the city collection line and the separate treatment line on their next bill rather than relying only on the total.

One additional detail remains unresolved in the records: the Proposition 218 notice lists the current regular residential collection charge as $12.63, while the June 23 staff report describes the current charge as $12.68 per equivalent dwelling unit. Until the city publishes a final billing or rate record, that difference should not be treated as settled.

Sources

• Fontana City Council meeting record, July 14, 2026
• Fontana Proposition 218 sewer-rate notice

In plain terms, Ordinance No. 1993 updates the legal “authorization pathway” Fontana uses when it later sets sewer service fee amounts by resolution. Resolution No. 2026-070 is the annual step that directs how certain residential sewer charges are placed onto the County’s property-tax rolls for collection for the 2026/2027 tax year.

What the City Council approved on July 14

Fontana’s July 14, 2026 agenda materials show the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1993 (second reading) and adopted Resolution No. 2026-070 for annual placement of sewer charges on the property tax rolls.

Ordinance No. 1993: the legal authorization mechanism

Ordinance No. 1993 authorizes sewer service fees or charges to be adopted by resolution. It also lays out that the ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption, subject to publication.

The ordinance is not the document that automatically sets a single immediate sewer charge amount for every household. Instead, it’s the mechanism that allows Fontana to adjust sewer service fees through later resolution steps.

Resolution No. 2026-070: how sewer charges get routed to the County tax bill

Resolution No. 2026-070 directs placement of sewer service charges on property tax bills for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, for the 2026/2027 property tax rolls.

The resolution also divides residential situations into different placement paths:

• Voluntary tax roll placement: For residential properties whose owners have elected tax roll billing, sewer charges are forwarded to San Bernardino County for addition to the 2026/2027 property tax rolls as a special assessment.
• Mandatory tax roll placement for delinquent sewer charges: For residential properties with unpaid liens for delinquent sewer charges as of June 30, 2026, the resolution directs forwarding the charges (and the amount of the unpaid liens) to the County for addition to the 2026/2027 property tax rolls as a special assessment.
• Mandatory tax roll placement for new connections / transfers: For all new residential connections and residential properties that changed ownership on or after July 1, 1995 (and that have not previously been placed on the property tax rolls), the resolution requires bi-monthly billing through June 30 of the assessment year. It then directs that sewer service charges for July 1 through June 30 of the assessment year be forwarded to the County for inclusion on the property tax rolls as a special assessment.

Resolution No. 2026-070 also says that if a rate change occurs during the assessment year, the City prepares a pro-rated adjustment to the assessment file that is added to the subsequent annual assessment.

How this connects to sewer rate changes residents may notice

Fontana’s Proposition 218 sewer notice frames the resident impact for the City’s sewer collection charge. It says that if approved, a typical residential customer in the “Regular” class would see an increase of $1.92 per month for the City’s portion, and that rate adjustments would go into effect July 1, 2026, with future increases scheduled annually each July 1 through July 1, 2030 (for the City and IEUA).

When those City collection charges are routed through the tax-roll process described in Resolution No. 2026-070, residents in the applicable placement categories could see sewer charges reflected directly on their property-tax statements for the 2026/2027 tax year.

Practical next steps for residents

If you’re a Fontana homeowner whose account is tied to sewer billing that is handled through San Bernardino County’s property-tax process, the key action is to check your San Bernardino County property-tax statement when it arrives and look for the sewer charge line item (if applicable to your parcel/customer category).

Because the resolution distinguishes between voluntary tax roll billing, delinquent lien placement, and new/ownership-change placement, households can have different billing experiences even in the same city. If something on your bill looks unclear, start by comparing what you see to the placement category described in Resolution No. 2026-070 and the details of the City’s Prop 218 notice.

Sources

• Fontana City Council Regular Agenda (July 14, 2026) — includes Ordinance No. 1993 and sewer tax-roll placement resolution item
• Fontana Prop 218 Notice (Final and Approved 4/28/2026) — Sewer Service Rates

Mayor’s key points: $3 stormwater fee and 2030-rate planning

In an Indiana Public Media “Ask the Mayor” interview published July 8, 2026, Sakbun said the city’s stormwater fee is $3 a month for residential customers. He also said the city is exploring a sewage-rate increase in 2030, and emphasized that officials are trying to spread rate impacts over time rather than allow projects to “fall behind.”

Sakbun also discussed the customer-class context: he said the business community is expected to pay a rate ranging from $10 to $30 per month.

What “phase” work is supposed to accomplish

Combined-sewer overflows are part of Terre Haute’s long-term compliance picture. Sakbun said the city has 37 big overflows per year and the federal goal is to get that number down to seven—a process the mayor described as a remediation plan with 30 years to fix the problem, starting with work that began in 2019 and moving into “phase two.”

In the interview, he connected phase two to local trouble spots, including Ohio Street, North Fourth Street, and Locust Street from 13th to 25th, along with neighborhoods he named such as Lincolnshire, Woodshire, and Chamberlain.

Terre Haute’s CSO materials also describe how the targets are communicated across plan documents. The program-page framing describes a recommended approach to reduce CSO events in an average year from 37 to 6 (with related water-quality-hour reductions), while the city’s “approved LTCP” page highlights the 37 to 7 overflows-per-year reduction target.

Why the city talks decades, not months

One reason residents see decades-long timelines is that the LTCP isn’t a single construction project—it’s a compliance roadmap meant to be carried out in phases. Terre Haute’s CSO program page says the schedule divides recommended improvements into phases, and that the city develops a plan to phase in the needed sewer rate increases over the implementation period.

That’s also why the mayor’s “2030” reference is best read as a planning window for later parts of the compliance work—not an immediate, year-by-year bill change that is already locked in.

How the wheel tax fits into the same infrastructure conversation

In the same interview, Sakbun addressed transportation funding. He said state government told local governments they would receive less Community Crossing grant money for paving unless the locality has a wheel tax.

Because many counties already had wheel taxes, Sakbun described a policy problem in which city residents could end up paying two wheel taxes—what he called “double taxation.” He said legislation was adjusted so residents in city limits pay just one wheel tax, and he said Terre Haute is now implementing a wheel tax at the same rate as the counties.

Sakbun said wheel-tax money is intended for paving work (including “pothole crews or paving”), and he also linked infrastructure funding to local economic development income tax and casino gaming revenue used for projects.

What to watch next (and what could change after 2030)

For the CSO timeline, Terre Haute’s city page says the city has submitted a new proposed Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to IDEM for review. Residents should watch for what IDEM does with that proposed plan and whether the city updates its financing approach as later phases progress.

On the money side, the clearest “next step” in the mayor’s remarks is the city’s indication that additional rate action is being considered around 2030. The practical questions for residents are likely to be: what phase milestones are being targeted by that window, and whether customer-class impacts (residential vs. business) change as the city moves further into later CSO work.

Where to find the official plan framing

If you want to connect the $3/month stormwater fee and the longer sewer-rate planning to the compliance roadmap, start with the city’s approved LTCP page and the Terre Haute Clean Water program page for its LTCP explanation. Those documents are where the targets and “phased” implementation concepts are spelled out.

Sources

• Indiana Public Media — Ask the Mayor (July 8, 2026)
• City of Terre Haute — Approved LTCP for Combined Sewer
• Terre Haute Clean Water — CSO LTCP program page

In separate resolutions finalized July 7, 2026, the City approved a water rate schedule (Resolution R-2026-249) and a sewer rate schedule (Resolution R-2026-250), both covering FY 2027 through FY 2031. City staff said the updates are meant to ensure a more stable flow of revenue, support critical infrastructure upgrades and expansions, and address compliance with state and federal regulations.

When residents will see the change

The adopted rates are scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, 2026. After that, the City’s rate schedule is amended each Oct. 1 through 2030, which is the mechanism that carries the plan across the full FY2027–FY2031 horizon.

Early-year increase rates cited in the resolutions

Per the City’s fiscal impact language included with the adopted water and sewer rate schedule resolutions, the FY2027 increases cited are:

• Water: +25.00%
• Wastewater/sewer: +28.25%

The same fiscal impact language also lists smaller later-year percentage increases, including:

• FY2030: water +2.50% and wastewater +5.75%
• FY2031: water +2.50% and wastewater +5.75%

What a typical household bill estimate could look like

Because each household’s water usage and service charges can vary, the City’s schedule changes should be treated as projected impacts, not guaranteed individual bill totals.

Axios Local reported that a typical single-family home’s combined monthly water-and-sewer bill is expected to rise from about $99 today to $126 this October, with the same estimate projecting additional increases in later years. Residents should still check how the new schedule applies to their specific account.

Where to check the rate tables and plan for October bills

The City publishes bill and rate context on its Rates page. It also notes that rate adjustments are based on a cost-of-service analysis and includes a volume-tier structure intended to incentivize water conservation.

If budgets are tight, the practical approach is to plan for the first Oct. 1, 2026 change, then re-check the household’s actual bill once the new rates begin—especially if your usage typically spikes during summer irrigation months.

What to watch next

This schedule’s next built-in milestone is the next Oct. 1 amendment after the initial Oct. 1, 2026 effective date. Residents who track utility costs may want to review rate changes each October to understand how the schedule evolves through the FY2027–FY2031 period.

Sources

• City of Hollywood Legistar: Resolution R-2026-249 (Waterworks 2050)
• City of Hollywood — Rates (New Utility Rates page)
• Axios Local — projected typical bill ($99 to $126) (July 9, 2026)