City Utility Fees
How Will the City’s New Utility Fees Affect Residents?
On Sept 16, 2025, the Commission voted to increase the City’s water and wastewater fees about 8% each year for the next three years, and the community has already seen substantial increases in these and the stormwater and solid waste fees over the past five years.
The cumulative effect of these increases is substantial. For example, an average family of four living in a single-family home in Lawrence can expect to pay a total of $1,276 more for their City utility bills in 2028 than they paid in 2020. This is an 80% increase over 8 years.
We compiled longitudinal data about the financial impact of these changes on Lawrence residents, using average baseline data and rate increases that City staff provided in 15 agenda items between 2019 and 2025. Holly Krebs’s presented that data before the Commissioner to inform their deliberations.
A City Commissioner suggested that we provide more nuanced data to show how these rate increases would impact different populations in our community. City staff had never provided baseline data for different-sized households, so we worked with the Municipal Services & Operations department to find the information needed to do this analysis.
The chart above shows how the utility fee changes have and will impact different-sized households in single-family and multifamily homes. The blue boxes show the estimated monthly and annual City utility costs for households with one to five people in them. The purple boxes show the expected increase in annual costs from 2020 to 2028, as well as the total percent increase during that 8-year period.
Below, you can see the detailed spreadsheets showing all the rates, charges, and calculations for each of these different populations. Finally, it’s worth noting that the City does offer a 65% discount for low-income elderly residents who make less than $16.5K a year, or are the head of a household that makes $22.5K a year.
You can also read the Lawrence Times article with our original analysis here.
City Utility Costs for Different Household Sizes and Types
References
Preliminary water service and sewage disposal service schedule, Agenda Item Report, 8/9/22.
Solid waste service, Agenda Item Report, 11/15/22.
Solid waste service, Agenda Item Report, 11/16/21.
Solid waste service, Agenda Item Report, 8/13/19.
Solid waste, Agenda Item Report, 11/19/24.
Solid waste, Agenda Item Report, 12/12/23.
Stormwater service, Agenda Item Report, 11/19/24.
Stormwater service, Agenda Item Report, 12/10/23.
Stormwater service, Agenda Item Report, 12/20/22.
Stormwater service, Agenda Item Report, 12/7/21.
Stormwater service, Agenda Item Report, 12/8/20.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts, Lawrence city, Kansas, 2023.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Midwest region.
Water service and sewage disposal service schedule, Agenda Item Report, 9/12/25.
Water service and sewage disposal service schedule, Agenda Item report, 11/15/22.
Water service and sewage disposal service schedule, Agenda Item Report, 11/16/21.
Water service and sewage disposal service schedule, Agenda Item Report,12/8/20.
