The Platte City Board of Aldermen unanimously approved higher sewer rates and changes to water rates at a recent meeting that raise the minimum monthly charge but lower the charge for additional usage.
For a customer west of Interstate 29 using 5,000 gallons a month, the sewer bill increases $12.95 while the water bill decreases 48 cents. Together, those changes raise the combined monthly bill $12.47, from $117.99 to $130.46 — an increase of about 10.6%.
That amounts to about $150 more per year if monthly usage remains at 5,000 gallons.
Carol Snodgrass of Platte City, who rents, asked The Landmark how much more she would be paying and what prompted the rate increase.
“I’m trying to retire soon and that’s difficult,” she said. “I don’t foresee moving anywhere that I don’t have to pay for water. It’s very frustrating.”
The rates took effect Nov. 1. Customers will first see the changes in their December bills, which reflect November usage, City Administrator Bryan Richison said.
At 5,000 gallons of monthly usage, the west-side sewer bill increases from $66.67 to $79.62. The water bill decreases from $51.32 to $50.84.
The actual change in each customer’s bill depends on how much water they use and where they receive service.
Richison said the sewer increases come as the city prepares to upgrade and expand its wastewater treatment plant during the 2026-27 fiscal year. The project is expected to cost $16 million.
The city is financing the work through a low-interest Missouri Department of Natural Resources State Revolving Fund loan. Richison said the city is still working through the paperwork and doesn’t know how much the loan payments will be.
The wastewater operating fund has a budgeted surplus of $1,260,422 for the fiscal year, but Richison cautioned that the figure does not mean the city has money to spare.
“If the construction costs come in high, that surplus could be eaten up quickly,” he said.
The project will also bring a substantial debt payment, he said. By the time the city develops its 2027-28 budget and utility rates, officials expect to have a clearer picture of construction costs and loan payments.
That information will “hopefully allow us to consider smaller sewer increases in the future,” Richison said.
The ordinance states that existing water and wastewater rates are insufficient to cover operations, maintenance, debt payments and capital improvements.
Richison said the city adjusts utility rates annually in conjunction with its budgeting process. Following discussion at an Oct. 20 budget work session, staff recommended transitioning to rates outlined in a study conducted by NewGen Strategies and Solutions.
NewGen conducted the study in 2023 and the board accepted its final report in July 2024.
Richison said the city had not been following the study’s recommended rates, but he did not know why. He said he had just started working for the city when the 2025-26 rates were developed and he was not involved in those calculations.
Implementing the recommendations raises the minimum water charge while reducing the charge based on usage. The water operating fund has a budgeted deficit of $100,069 for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Richison said he is less concerned about the water fund’s deficit because the city does not operate a drinking water treatment plant and has no major water system projects planned. The $16 million treatment plant project is for the sewer system.
“We tend to end most fiscal years better than we budget, so my guess is the Water Operating Fund will actually end up closer to breaking even,” he said.
For customers west of I-29, the minimum monthly water charge, which includes the first 1,000 gallons, increases from $15.76 to $17.80. The charge for each additional 1,000 gallons decreases from $8.89 to $8.26.
The minimum monthly sewer charge west of I-29 increases from $18.39 to $22.06. The sewer charge for each additional 1,000 gallons increases from $12.07 to $14.39.
Customers east of I-29 see their minimum monthly water charge increase from $16.76 to $19.44, while the charge for each additional 1,000 gallons decreases from $9.89 to $9.26.
Their minimum monthly sewer charge increases from $19.39 to $22.14, while the charge for each additional 1,000 gallons rises from $13.07 to $16.46. At 5,000 gallons of monthly usage, the combined east-side water and sewer bill increases from $127.99 to $144.46, up $16.47, or about 12.9%.
That amounts to about $198 more per year if monthly usage remains at 5,000 gallons.
For customers outside city limits connected to Platte City’s sewer system, the minimum monthly charge, including the first 1,000 gallons, increases from $22.07 to $26.48. The charge for each additional 1,000 gallons rises from $14.48 to $17.38. At 5,000 gallons of monthly usage, the sewer bill increases $16.01, from $79.99 to $96, or about 20%.
Richison also identified discrepancies involving the east-side sewer minimum and outside-city sewer rates.
The east-side sewer minimum was intended to be $24.14, he said, but an apparent error in the ordinance’s wording resulted in a $22.14 minimum being adopted. The amount in the ordinance took effect Nov. 1.
For outside-city sewer customers, Richison said the prior rates listed in the 2025-26 ordinance differed from those in the accompanying staff report. He used the staff report figures in preparing the spreadsheet for this year’s changes, but applied the percentage increase to the prior ordinance’s figures when updating the ordinance.
“As with the other error, the rates in the ordinance are what go into effect,” Richison said.
He said he will discuss possible corrections with the board when it considers the city of Tracy’s sewer rate during their Nov. 10 work session. Tracy’s sewer volume charge remains unchanged at $12.60 per 1,000 gallons pending further analysis and discussion of its contract.
