Del City considers utility rate changes

By Lea Terry
Midwest City Beacon

At the Sept. 2 city council meeting, Del City leaders discussed potential changes to utility rates and billing structures. Interim Director of Public Works Brittany Parrott proposed several updates to help the city address essential needs such as infrastructure and maintenance.

“The cost of doing nothing is we are going to continue with the status quo and constantly deal with potholes, water leaks, sewer backups, and higher cost of repair whenever it turns into an emergency repair or replacement rather than a preventive,” Parrott said.

She added that without changes, the city could face service problems and even potential legal and compliance issues.

Under the recommendations, water rates would increase over the next two years, with a 50 percent increase the first year and an additional 31 percent in the second year, for a total increase to 96 percent from today’s rates. The base rate would cover up to 2,000 gallons, and then the water usage rate would begin at 3,000 gallons or more. The city has not raised water rates since 2020. Parrott pointed out that sewer rates have an automatic increase based on inflation, but that the water rates do not have that, which is why the city has fallen behind on adjusting rates to reflect the needs of the city.

Mayor Floyd Eason noted that surrounding cities have already increased their rates.

“We are very behind everyone else on this,” Eason said.

Parrott noted that the utility fees do not generate a profit but instead cover the actual costs of essential services.

One proposed change is a $2.50 per month street fee for maintenance such as streetlights and traffic lights, pothole repair and road paving. Parrott said the street fee would bring in about $20,000 per month. She added the city just approved $32,000 to have all the school zones, cross walks and stop blocks restriped. Restriping just one city street can cost $48,000. The street fee would provide a dedicated fund that would make it easier for the city to plan major projects, rather than trying to prioritize funding without a long-term idea of what the city can afford.

After the success of its “Clean Sweep Initiative” this spring, the city implemented monthly bulk trash pickups and hopes to keep that schedule permanently. To cover that, Parrott proposed a 75-cent increase per month. Parrott also proposed increasing several sanitation fees, including a $3 increase for the first polycart, and also increasing the cost for a missed pickup, which right now is $5 and does not cover the cost of returning to a residence.

Another potential change would be reducing the billing cycles from four to two. With four billing cycles, the city must handle billing related tasks such as assessing late fees, cutting off services and reinstating service four times per month, which Parrott said is inefficient. With two cycles, the city would handle these tasks only twice a month, streamlining the process.

No changes have been finalized or approved. If implemented, the changes would take effect January 1, 2026.