Lawrence residents are on track to pay the city an average of almost $200 per month for utilities within the next three years, according to calculations by a local advocate.
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider approving increased costs to residents for water and wastewater services for 2026 through 2028.
The presentation to the commission lists rate increases of an average of 7.9% for 2026, 2027 and 2028, given as city revenue increases of $5.75 million, $6.1 million and $6.6 million, respectively.
Residents also pay the city for stormwater and solid waste service. Those rates are not on the commission’s agenda for Tuesday.
The commission’s meeting agenda provides a chart of monthly water and wastewater charges based on usage of 4,000 gallons per month, approximately what the average household uses. It does not give actual numbers.
Holly Krebs, lead organizer with the Coalition for Collaborative Governance, calculated the approximate increase to the average resident’s monthly utility bills and estimated the additional increases to stormwater rates and solid waste increases based on the last two years.
According to Krebs’ calculations, verified by this publication, the average household’s water and wastewater bill will increase to $153 in 2028 from $122 in 2025 under the proposed increases.
“(I)n the last five years, the community has seen a total 54% increase in our water/wastewater rates, and the proposal before (commissioners) will increase them another 25% over the course of the next three years,” Krebs said via email. “The amount of total anticipated increases in annual City utility costs for an average home over this eight-year period will be $1,045.”
Click here to open the chart in a new tab.
The meeting agenda item states that “These changes are necessary for Lawrence to continue our high-quality services at the best value possible despite growing costs. Wholesale water and wastewater treatment costs, which account for over one-half of our total water and wastewater expense annually, are increasing.”
“The City will also fund over $105 million in water and wastewater Capital Improvement Projects over the next three years. These CIP projects are needed to meet regulatory obligations, align with asset management best practices, and increase environmental stewardship through nutrient removal, process optimization and watershed management,” the agenda item continues.
If approved, the 2026 water and wastewater rates will be effective Jan. 1.
Commissioners will also likely be deciding Tuesday how much to increase property taxes and how much to charge residents to use the city’s recreational facilities; read more about that at this link. They’ll also consider approving a site at Sixth Street and Stoneridge Drive for the new Lawrence fire station; read more about that here.
Meeting info
The Lawrence City Commission will meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.
Attendees can join the meeting virtually via Zoom, which also allows participants to provide public comment, at this link. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.
See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link.
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Updates:
• Lawrence City Commission approves budget with fees to use rec centers, property tax rate increase, Sept. 16, 2025
• Lawrence City Commission approves water, wastewater rate increases for the next 3 years, Sept. 16, 2025
• City Commission approves 6th and Stoneridge as site for new Lawrence fire station; county to consider next, Sept. 16, 2025
Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Lawrence city budget coverage
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