Kirstin Davis

Understanding Your 2025 City Utility Bill

Kirstin Davis, Communications Manager, Public Works, 509.625.7773

Monday, December 16, 2024 at 9:28 a.m.

Understanding Your 2025 City Utility Bill

The City of Spokane is committed to providing excellent utility services for a reasonable cost. Each day, residents and businesses in our community rely on the City of Spokane to provide clean drinking water, process wastewater, and pick up and dispose of garbage, recyclables and organic material.

On Oct. 14, the City Council approved updated rates for 2025 and 2026 for these critical utility services based on current costs and needs. Here is background about the process and the priorities of these changes.

The City developed rates to meet our four guiding principles:

  • Simplicity and Transparency
  • Stability
  • System Sustainability
  • Equity and Affordability

Here’s a look at the key elements of the rate updates:

  • Cost increases for residential customers are limited to below 5% for 2025 and just over 5% for 2026. These rates are designed to maintain affordability, even as inflation has pushed costs for the utilities for fuel, pipes, pumps, labor, managing recyclables and clean green materials and more far above this. Cutting costs and finding efficiencies have allowed the City to propose lower increases.
  • Vulnerable residents will receive help. The discount for qualified seniors and disabled individuals doubles over the two years to $20 a month and doubles the credit for being among the lowest 20% of indoor water users to $10 a month. Customers who qualify for both of these credits would effectively see no increase in their monthly costs.
  • Water Conservation encouraged. The base rate for drinking water services is limited to 1.5%, less than the overall utility rate increase. And, cost increases for water use are focused on those who use large amounts of water.
  • Yard and Food Waste Collection Service is enhanced. For customers who choose Yard and Food Waste curbside service, once a month pickup will be added in January, February, and December when the service has traditionally been suspended. Customers can reduce the size of their brown garbage cart and combine it with the yard and food waste service and actually spend less a month. By recycling more and diverting yard and food waste, households will probably have less trash each month. To learn more and for frequently asked questions, visit the Food and Yard Waste page.

In total, the rate adjustments equal about a $7 per month increase for 2025 and an additional $8.40 in 2026 for the typical residential customer. The goal is to share the load and consider the overall utility picture based on the guiding principles. These rates are effective January 1, 2025. Customers will receive a 2025 Utility Rates brochure in their January bill.

Residential Utility Bill Example

Representative “Inside City” Monthly Bill – with Irrigation

Service Base Charge Consumption Capital TOTAL
60-gallon Garbage Cart $42.04     $42.04
Wastewater $37.74     $37.74
Water $19.04 $14.88*   $33.92
Stormwater $5.31     $5.31
Water/Wastewater Capital     $34.43 $34.43
  2025
2026		 $153.44
$161.81

*Assumes 15,000 gallons (20 units) of monthly water usage. This water usage represents a month with some outdoor irrigation. This bill in 2024 would cost $146.27.

Summary of 2025-2026 Utility Rates

Residential representative or average bill:

  • 2025 increase of 4.88% bill which equals $7.14 per month over 2024
  • 2026 increase of 5.47% bill which equals $8.40 per month over 2025

Commercial:

  • 2025 increase of 7%
  • 2026 increase at 4.9% for water and wastewater and 7% for solid waste (same percentages as residential customers)

Discounts for vulnerable customers will double over 2 years for:

  • Qualified disabled customers and seniors
  • Lowest 20% of indoor water use customers

While protecting the financial health of the utilities, the rates are designed to support vulnerable populations by offering increased discounts for qualified seniors and disabled customers, and for low indoor water users. The changes also encourage diverting food waste from garbage and increasing water conservation.

To learn more about the utility rates, watch this presentation at the September Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability committee meeting.

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