On Nov. 17, the Auburn City Council adjusted how much the city’s water, sanitary sewer, and storm-drainage customers will pay each month for the services from 2026 to 2028.

As may be expected, some but not all rates will go up.

The city based its rates on the findings of a study that the FCS Group — a consultant the city hired earlier this year — recently completed. The consultant examined the current rates with respect to what it costs the city to deliver the services, and the revenue the city needs to keep doing it.

Every three to five years, the city examines its utility rate structures in this way. The last comprehensive rate study was completed in 2022 for the years 2023 to 2025.

Council members discussed the study at work sessions on Oct. 27 and Nov. 10.

“At the end of the day, we’re not forecasting or proposing any significant rate structure changes at this point,” Brooke Tacia, the FCS Group project manager, told the council on Oct. 27. Tacia said increases will be applied to fixed and variable charges and to each customer class across the board.

The study is composed of four elements: a cost-of-service analysis to determine the relative burden each customer class places on the utility; a comparison of existing revenues with cost-of-service results to figure out whether each class is paying its fair share; a review of one-time charges imposed on new development or extended connection to the system; and finally, a review of wholesale rates.

There are fixed meter charges that increase with the meter size, though they are fairly similar across all customer classes, with one exception: the 1 inch residential meter.

Among the details of the rate increases:

• Water rates: Auburn residents can expect about a 7.8% increase in water rates each year from 2026 to 2028, which equates to about a $3.87 to $4.50 monthly increase for a single-family water bill.

• Sewer rates: Auburn residents can expect about a 2% increase (about 65 cents) in the city portion for a single-family monthly sewer bill.

• Stormwater rates: Auburn residents can expect about a 3.25% increase (about 63 cents to 67 cents) for a single-family stormwater bill.

• Combined costs: All added up, the consultant estimates that the average Auburn single family residence will see about a 5.1% to 5.2% monthly increase in their bill. For example, for a total monthly residential utility bill of $101.20, residents would pay about an additional $5.14 per month in 2026.

• The monthly base rates for users of all water classes are set to increase on Jan. 1 of each year, starting in 2026.

• Low-income residents can qualify for about a 50% discount on rates, according to the study.