Utility Rate Changes Now In Effect

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.

Rate increases reflect the cost of services projected for 2025. As a municipal utility provider, Westerville has more control than corporate entities for rate variances. The average Westerville resident pays $.82 on the dollar for utilities compared to our regional counterparts.

WATERThe typical residential water bill will increase by 5% or $1.35/month per customer. Westerville has its own water supply and treatment system. Rates remain among the most affordable in the region. See the regional comparison chart on the reverse side for details. (See table)

ELECTRICThe average residential electric bill will increase by 9%. This reflects changes in the customer charge, energy charge and winter discount energy charge.

SEWER Sewer rates will increase by 6.5% or just less than $3/month. Westerville’s wastewater is primarily treated by the City of Columbus, which is increasing our rates by 6%.

TRASHResidential trash, recyclables and yard waste collection and disposal is contracted through Rumpke Waste based on a competitive bid process. The rate for 2025 will be $28/month, representing a $1.50/month increase. Senior rates will also increase $1.42/month to $25.63/month.

In 2025, the average Westerville utility customer will pay $19.61/month more for services, representing a 7.8% 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.

Electric experienced the greatest increase in the past year due to changes in the energy market, including sharply increasing capacity rates and transmission updates. Westerville is included in the AEP zone that is affected by these rate increases.

The accompanying graph provides rates and adjustments that have been established for 2025, effective Jan. 1.

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. This gives us the ability to control costs in a way that gives maximum affordability to our customers. To allow for a fair comparison on rates our typical bill is calculated at 7ccf (centum cubic feet) of water, a unit of measurement that means about 5,236 gallons of water each month. 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.

*ccf = 1 billing unit or 100 cubic ft. Rates are per ccf.

Public Power Provider

The Westerville Electric Division (WED) 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.

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