At its meeting on December 9th, the WaterOne Governing Board officially adopted its 2026 operating budget of $157.5 million. As a part of the budget process, the Board set water rates that will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
The planned water rate adjustment is 2.9% based on a cost of service analysis. This represents an impact of $1.65/month for the typical residential customer.
The main drivers that make an increase in 2026 necessary are increased operating expenses like labor, software, and health insurance, as well as increased capital investment in infrastructure and a gradual decline in indoor water use.
WaterOne is a non-profit public utility and is not tax supported – rates and fees are used entirely to cover the cost of daily operations and infrastructure. Because of this, WaterOne practices careful financial planning and reserve funding in order to avoid reactive rate hikes. The 2025 rate is consistent with the District’s approach to avoiding rate volatility through incremental rate adjustments. Small, stable rate increases offer predictability for those living and working in Johnson County.
On average, 50% of every rate dollar goes to daily operations and 50% goes to infrastructure investments. WaterOne’s water is an excellent value, and the District continues to offer one of the lowest rates for water service along with the highest recorded customer satisfaction in the region.