Charles County residents could see substantial hikes in their water bills over the next five years.
The April 9 meeting of the Charles County commissioners began presentations on the budget, which is scheduled to be adopted on May 14.
If the current budget is approved, then fiscal year 2025 would see a 3% increase in the average quarterly user fee, going from $236 in 2024 to $243 in 2025. However, by 2029, projections have the average quarterly fee rising to $393.
“We’re growing it each year to support the project infrastructure costs that’s part of [the Water and Sewer Capital Improvement Program],” Acting Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services Jake Dyer said.
“It’s more than double-digit increases going into the future,” Dyer said about the percent changes. “Keep in mind, this is what our plan looks like at this moment, based on this time. It always changes each year, and we update it yearly.”
However, Dyer said to meet their targets with projects in a timely manner, these types of fee increases would likely stay similar.
From fiscal year 2025 into fiscal year 2026, fee increases would start seeing double-digit percentage increases, with a projected 10.5% total jump.
The fiscal department prepared some comparisons to other jurisdictions and counties. Just across the state line in Virginia, King George County already sees an average $376 quarterly water bill, but that is also the highest of the prepared numbers.
As it stands right now, Charles County has the lowest quarterly water bill out of the three counties of Southern Maryland, with St. Mary’s at $285 and Calvert at $291.
Dyer presented projects that were previously fully funded but now require substantially more funds, which will use $974,000 if the number does not move before May.
Clifton Water System Improvements are needed to solve pressure and capacity issues for not only the existing connections but also further support the building of the remaining 200 lots of record within the development, documents from the fiscal department say. That will require $680,000 this fiscal year.
An additional $138,000 of funding will be needed to demolish the existing, decommissioned elevated water storage tower at the Waldorf firehouse.
Replacing the existing waste storage tank at the Chapel Point water system will run the county $156,000 in fiscal year 2025 and an additional $893,000 in fiscal year 2026.
The average annual water cost for fiscal year 2024 was $944.33, but if all changes come to pass, residents will see the average cost sitting around $1,573.48.
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