Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers will see no rate changes for the next year under part of a new $107.6 million operating budget unanimously approved Wednesday by the agency’s board of directors.
Water rates last were increased in 2017 as part of a three-year plan to raise revenues for infrastructure improvements.
The new budget, which begins April 1, includes slight increases in revenues and expenses. Officials said rising costs could accelerate spending over the next 12 months.
“Certain expenditures will see big increases, and we’ll see where that takes us, while revenues have been flat for the most part,” MAWC business manager Brian Hohman said.
The authority serves more than 122,000 water customers in Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. It also has nearly 30,000 sewer customers.
The budget includes more than $84.3 million in revenues from the water system and takes in about $17.7 million from its wastewater operation.
The authority set aside nearly $8 million in the budget for capital improvements over the next year.
Water rates increased by 39% over a three-year period that ended in 2017. Those increases were earmarked to pay off $150 million in debt taken out for system upgrades planned through last year.
Authority officials said a new financial package that includes additional borrowing to pay for future system improvements is expected to be finalized this year. The cost of that plan has yet to be announced.
