The Hermiston City Council on Monday approved a water and sewer rate increase that takes effect on March 1.
The council changed its automatic rate adjustment method in 2022 in order to use an average of the past three years of the Engineering News-Record’s Construction Cost Index. The change was made to smooth out short-term spikes in inflation. The three-year average this year is 5.02 percent.
According to the city, the rate hike will result in an average monthly increase for residential customers of $5.37. Due to higher summertime water usage, however, the median customer will see their peak monthly usage (in August) result in a bill for that month of $7.91 higher, while their lower monthly usage (in January) will increase by $4.26.
