Utility Rate Changes Now in Effect

Rate increases reflect the cost of services projected for 2024. As a municipal utility provider, Westerville has more control than corporate entities for rate variances. The average Westerville resident pays $.72 on the dollar for utilities compared to our regional counterparts.

Water

The average residential WATER bill will increase by 2% or $0.50/month. Westerville has its own water supply and treatment system. Rates remain among the most affordable in the region. (See table)

Electric

The average residential ELECTRIC bill will increase by 8%. This reflects changes in the customer charge, energy charge and winter discount energy charge.

Sewer

SEWER rates will increase by 5.5% or $2.33/month. Westerville’s wastewater is primarily treated by the City of Columbus, which is increasing our rates by 5%.

Refuse

REFUSE residential solid waste collection and disposal is contracted through Rumpke Waste based on a competitive bid process. The rate for 2024 will be $26.50/month, representing a $1/month increase. Senior rates will also increase $1/month to $24.21/month.

The following chart shows the current and the 2024 proposed residential utility charges along with the projected future rates at a five-year glance.

The City of Westerville is among the few municipalities in the state of Ohio to own and maintain its own utilities, including water and electric service and distribution. Doing so allows the City to provide both technical and service support for 40,000 residents and more than 2,000 businesses while maintaining quality and cost control that has historically been among the most competitive in Central Ohio.

In 2024, the average Westerville utility customer will pay $13.91/month more for services, representing about a 6% overall increase. Despite the increased cost of service and pass-along rates for wastewater treatment, Westerville customers continue to pay less than customers in neighboring communities for similar services.

Water Treatment and Distribution

The Westerville Water Division has total control of the treatment and distribution of our water, which makes us unique among many neighboring communities. The average residential customer consumes about 5 ccf (centum cubic feet) of water, a unit of measurement that means about 3,700 gallons of water flow through a meter each month. (Previously the Water Division estimated average homes at 7 ccf, but reduced the number based on trend data). Water rates are based on consumption to reflect the true cost of current service. Currently, the City is among the most affordable water providers in Franklin County.

Additionally, since the community-supported investment in upgrading our water treatment system 10 years ago, Westerville water not only meets current water quality regulations but is also prepared to meet future challenges. This was accomplished by adding granular activated carbon (GAC) to our treatment system, which is considered the best available technology to address what we refer to as emerging contaminants. GAC will remove most contaminants, such as personal care products and materials that contain “PFAS,” otherwise known as forever chemicals.

Public Power Provider

The Westerville Electric Division performed an extensive third-party cost of service and rate design study last year. As a result, electric rates and charges for customer tiers have been updated to accurately reflect the cost of service. Rate increases reflect changes in the customer charge, energy charge and winter discount energy charge. Notably, WED will consolidate and convert all residential meters in 2024 to digital meters (affecting less than 1% of customers).

Visit www.westerville.org/utilitybilling for more information. Questions? Please call Utility Billing at (614) 901-6430.