Buffalo Water customers are set to see a rate hike of 7.5% and a new monthly infrastructure fee starting Oct. 1.
The Buffalo Water Board approved the increase Sept. 10.
BTPM NPR has learned the average Buffalo household will see an increase of $8 per month, or $96 annually.
Customers already enrolled in Buffalo Water's affordability program will see an average increase of $4 per month.
Those numbers were revealed at a Buffalo Water Board meeting Aug. 13., and BTPM NPR is working to learn more.
Neither the Water Board nor the City of Buffalo have yet responded to BTPM NPR's request for comment.
The rate increase is required to meet Buffalo Water's revenue needs, specifically to meet the board's bond covenant - conditions the board agreed to when borrowing money through issuing bonds. The board borrows money to pay for infrastructure upgrades.
It's the third consecutive year that the Buffalo Water has increased rates. In 2023, customers saw a bump of almost 10% followed by another 7% increase in 2024 as reported by The Buffalo News.
The Common Council is set to discuss the rate hikes in the Finance Committee meeting Oct. 7, but does not have the authority to make changes because the Buffalo Water Board is its own separate public authority.
Finance Committee Chair, Mitch Nowakowski, explained that disabled and senior customers pay different rates for water services in Buffalo. He said the Water Board's Secretary, Peter Merlo, is expected to explain those details in the meeting.
But the Fillmore District representative expressed concerns that the board had not yet widely announced the rate increases in the media or to customers, despite the fact they take effect this week.
He rates the public authority's communication on the issue as "zero."
"I think that it's super important that the water board shows and demonstrates that they are fee for service," Nowakowski said. "Water lines need to get replaced. We have crumbling water infrastructure. We have some mains that are not at full capacity or that are diminished, and that needs to be articulated so that folks know when they see an increase or a rate increase, what it's exactly going for."
