Utility Rate Presentation

City of Chandler — Work Session (2025-08-04)

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City Council Conference Room 
Monday, August 4, 2025| 4:00 pm
FY 2025-26 
Utility Rate Update
Discussion Continued

02. Follow-up Items from Prior Work Session
Agenda
01. Recap of Adjustments Presented
03. Rate Implementation Methodology Options 
and Direction
04. Next Steps and Key Process Dates

Recap of Adjustments 
Presented

Average Residential Cost Comparison 
for Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste
$75 
$112 
$115 
$120 
$134 
$139 
$155 
$162 
 $-
 $50
 $100
 $150
 $200
Based on Tempe Cost of Service July 2025 results at 10,000 gallons single family residential current rates

Utility Rate Adjustment History 
Last COS Study Transition
Enterprise Funds are 
self supporting. Rate 
revenue must support 
all operating, capital, 
debt service and 
reserve requirements
The city has rate 
models for each 
Enterprise fund, 
updated annually 
to analyze rate 
needs
Cost of 
Service (COS) 
studies 
happen every 
5-7 years

Utility Rate Revenue Requirements Needed to 
Fund Operating, Capital, Debt and Reserves
A rate increase is needed to maintain the 
integrity of our enterprise funds and keep 
our systems safe.  The impacts of 
increased capital replacements, operating 
costs and capital project costs is driving 
the rate requirement.
The direction needed in this workshop will 
be what implementation methodology to 
use to share clear customer classification 
impacts for public outreach

Review of Follow-up Items 
from Prior Work Session

Looking Back: Utility Rate
COS Study Alignment Result
Original findings for 
Water indicated 
Residential and 
Multi-Family were 
slightly subsidizing 
other classifications

Looking Back: Utility Rate
COS Study Alignment Result
Original findings 
for Wastewater 
indicated 
Residential 
subsidizing other 
classifications

Industrial Classification
22 Industrial 
Businesses with at 
least one meter 
designated as 
Industrial
Aligned Data Centers (Chandler) Propco LLC
Air Products & Chemical
Allied Waste Transportation Inc.
Applied Materials Inc
Avnet Inc
Bowman Consulting
Chandler Air Services
Chandler HFP II LLC
CRP III Chandler Airport LLC
Dr Horton Inc
Emerald On 87 LLC
FCL Builders Arizona LLC
Ferguson Enterprise LLC
First Electronics
Gila River Indian Community (Lone Butte)
Intel Corp
Microchip Technology Inc
NXP USA Inc.
Rogers Corp
South Bay Circuits Inc
True Up Companies, LLC
Unbound 165 LLC

Utility SDF Fund Balances 
SDFs are allocated based on projects that are related to growth and 
repayments are made to normalize the impact of these revenues.
*Annual SDF Loan payback revenues help minimize needed rate increase
Utility Area
SDF Fund 
Balance
 (All as of July 1, 2024)
SDF Fund 
Balance at 
Year End FY 
2025-26
Balance at 
Year End FY 
2026-27
Balance at 
Year End FY 
2027-28
Water
$11,981,465
$9,077,000
$3,000,000
$0
Wastewater
$3,010,516
$0
$0
$0
Once fund balances reach zero, any annual revenues will be used to continue to pay 
outstanding loans keeping the fund balances at or near $0

5-Year Enterprise Funds 
Fund Balance Projection
Fund balances is being 
drawn down to 
support  Pay-go 
capital, One-time and 
Ongoing O&M, and 
Debt Service
Fiscally prudent planned drawdown of fund balance is considered in annual rate analysis

Rate Adjustment Options 
and Determination on 
Direction

A change from rate adjustments every other year to every year would affect 
estimated planned rates as follows for Water & Wastewater
FY 2025-26 Utility Rate
 Adjustment Timing Methodology

Implement Across the Board (ATB)
Increase needed (revenue requirement) for FY 2025-26 applied evenly ATB to all 
classifications, therefore all classifications increase at the same percent
Allows full inflation and new projects to be allocated over the next COS update
Implement Blended (COS/ATB blended rates)
Continues using FY 2019-20 data to align COS rate increases for anticipated 
   increase needed based on the prior projection, then
Additional increase needed for FY 2025-26 applied evenly ATB to all classifications
Implement ATB and Blended for one or the other
Use ATB with one utility, and Blended for another
FY 2025-26 Utility Rate
 Adjustment Implementation Methodologies

Utility Rate 
Adjustments by
Implementation 
Method

Utility Rate Adjustments by
Implementation Method
Current average 
residential bill of $75 
is $37 lower than 
closest valley city 
Prior year A-OK 
donations were 
$25,509. 
An additional 
$25,000 could assist 
customers most at 
risk

Chandler Utility Rate Adjustment Direction
Determine method of implementing rates prior to public outreach, and allocate 
revenue requirement based on:
Determine method of implementing rates prior to 
public outreach and allocate revenue requirement
1.Across the Board (ATB) – uses the same revenue increase rate 
for all customer classifications, OR 
2.Blended Cost of Service - allocating the original revenue 
requirement following COS and additional revenue requirement 
ATB to all classifications
3.Blended Cost of Service mixed with ATB - allocating the 
original revenue requirement following COS and additional 
revenue requirement across the board to one utility, and full 
ATB to the other
Advise on timing of future utility rate changes
 (every other year or annually)

Utility Rate Key Process Steps
Date
Council Utility Rate Workshop #1
(Determination on rate adjustment methodology prior to outreach)
Completed
Community Outreach  
August-October
Adopt Notice of Intent to Change Rates
10/16/2025
Council Utility Rate Workshop #2 
(Report out on public outreach)
11/10/2025
Public Hearing & Ordinance Introduction
1/8/2026
Final Adoption
1/22/2026
Effective Date for Utility Bills Issued On or After Date
3/2/2026
New COS Study to Determine Each Classification is 
Paying What they Should Based on New Use/Cost Data
Mid-Summer 
2026
Next Steps 
and Key 
Process  
Dates

Questions?