Englewood packet proposes water restrictions, 2027 utility rate increases

An Aug. 11 Water and Sewer Board packet proposes mandatory water-use restrictions for Englewood and its extraterritorial water customers, along with 2027 budgets and rate increases for water, sewer and stormwater services. The supplied records do not show final board or City Council action, the exact restriction rules or projected water savings.

The proposals are separate from funding and scheduling for City Ditch Reach 2. Utilities staff told council that the program is budgeted at about $16 million across four reaches. Reaches 1, 3 and 4 are complete. Staff is targeting fall 2027 to complete Reach 2, citing design challenges and coordination with Littleton over stormwater near Lynn Hart Lake. A council member characterized that target as about two years behind an earlier schedule, but the record does not identify the earlier date.

Reach 2A is under contract, with construction expected to begin after the 2026 irrigation season. The smaller Reach 2B section around Lynn Hart Lake is being redesigned to address Littleton’s stormwater flows and determine whether construction should go around or through the pond. The agenda proposes up to $402,580 for a temporary BNSF occupancy permit tied to Reach 2A, including a $335,483 permit payment and $67,097 contingency. The Water and Sewer Board is scheduled to consider the matter Aug. 11, with City Council consideration listed for Aug. 17 and Sept. 21. No vote, adopted action or executed permit was supplied.

Proposed water restrictions

The packet proposes that the board recommend a City Council resolution imposing mandatory water-use restrictions for Englewood and its extraterritorial customers. It does not include the operative restrictions, implementation date, exemptions, enforcement provisions or penalties.

Without estimated savings or other usage projections, the supplied record does not establish how much water the restrictions would conserve or how compliance would be measured.

Proposed 2027 budgets and rates

The packet proposes 2027 enterprise-fund budgets of $34.64 million for water, $28.17 million for sewer and $7.68 million for stormwater. The water budget includes $18 million for operations and $16.64 million for capital; the sewer budget includes $17.32 million for operations and $10.86 million for capital; and the stormwater budget includes $4.17 million for operations and $3.49 million for capital.

Compared with the 2026 amended budgets, the proposed water budget is down $20.46 million, or 37%; the sewer budget is up $51,077; and the stormwater budget is up $1.67 million, or 28%. The water-budget change does not establish a Reach 2-only cost or a revised total City Ditch price.

The proposed water and sewer rates would each increase 4.5%, while connection fees for both services would rise 3.92%. The monthly Capital Investment Fee for a single-family residential customer would increase from $17 to $19, based on meter size. The $5 Drinking Water Loan Fee would not change. The packet projects additional water revenue of $383,473 from rates, $40,416 from connection fees and $343,803 from the Capital Investment Fee.

Listed sewer treatment rates would increase from $4.79 to $5.01 for outside-city treatment, from $3.15 to $3.29 for inside-city treatment, and from $4.10 to $4.28 for inside-city treatment plus collection. The packet projects $1.21 million in additional sewer-rate revenue and $18,758 from connection fees.

The proposed stormwater rate would increase 6%, compared with a 4.5% increase over 2025 rates in 2026. The packet projects $261,657 in additional stormwater revenue.

The proposed rates would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, if approved by City Council. The packet does not provide a typical residential bill or enough usage information to calculate a precise customer-level impact. The supplied material also contains no Aug. 11 meeting minutes, vote tally or final City Council resolution documenting action on the restrictions, budgets or rates.

The agenda separately proposes a $300,000 increase in staff-managed contingency for Phase 2 improvements at the Allen Water Treatment Plant. Combined with a proposed $500,000 repair contract, the project’s proposed authorization would reach $6,166,867.60. No final action was supplied for that proposal.