Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for WaterOne board to address leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a three-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to Johnson County residents.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the final question:
WaterOne is a non-tax supported utility, meaning rates and fees cover the cost of operations. And those rates are some of the lowest of any water utility in the Kansas City metro, according to data provided by WaterOne. However, some readers want to know if you would support potentially lowering bills for certain groups of customers, including seniors on fixed incomes and those with lower household incomes. Explain your stance.
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
Member 1
Jerry Cook
Cost of living rates are top of mind for all of us, including water rates. As a candidate, I have learned that staff are consistently sensitive to the metrics which affect water rates in Johnson County. Such metrics are evaluated annually and are adjusted if market usage so indicates.
Overall analysis is supported by short-term (5 years) and long-term (40 years) operational management plans. As a result, WaterOne has been commended by national water experts determining customer usage rates by such detailed analysis.
WaterOne rates are among the most affordable in the region. Water rates are based upon consumption. While I support the current pricing model, I would continue to closely monitor metric analysis by the professional staff. I do not favor establishing rates for certain groups of customers. County financial assistance programs are available for those who have difficulty fulfilling their water bill obligation. Always Nurture Nature!
Melanie Kraft (incumbent)
As a fellow senior citizen of Johnson County, I’m as concerned about monthly utility rates as anyone and that is why I was surprised that WaterOne’s rates were so low and affordable. WaterOne’s water costs less than a half a penny per gallon and has some of the lowest utility rates in the Kansas City metro area and in the state.
Water rates are based on household use and approximately 77% of your bill is water used, the other 23% is service charges for billing meter reading, etc., which the Board is working to reduce for the 2024 upcoming budget. Thus, WaterOne customers are mostly paying for their own personal water use.
Some households may become overwhelmed by all of their utility bills and other household expenses. Some WaterOne customers are billed every two months and that can make household budgeting difficult, but your WaterOne bill can be paid monthly online to even out your monthly bills. If you receive a bill larger than expected, it may be a leak which is the most common cause of high water bills and consider calling WaterOne to discuss possible payment plans.
Tom Fennesy
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Member 2
Brian Glynn
WaterOne already has some of the lowest rates of any water utility in the Kansas City metro as shown here, which is especially helpful for seniors on fixed incomes. WaterOne residential customers pay a nominal service charge as well as a charge for the volume of water consumed. Basically, the more water you use, the more you pay as a WaterOne customer. This is especially true for customers that exceed 125% of their average winter consumption. These customers pay a higher rate for their water usage in excess of 125% of their average winter consumption to water their lawns, fill their swimming pools, etc.
Typically, households with lower incomes use less water and those that use less water are classified as a low-use WaterOne customer. From data from WaterOne over the last five years, a low-use residential WaterOne customer’s bill increased just approximately 7%, while the average residential WaterOne customer’s bill increased approximately 19%, which is close to the increase in the consumer price index over the same timeframe of approximately 20%.
For households with lower incomes, utility assistance is already available to qualifying low-income households through Johnson County’s Utility Assistance Program, which WaterOne is a supporting partner of. You can find further information about this program here.
Ullyses Wright
One of the best ways to manage affordable water rates is to hold sustainability as a value throughout the decision-making process. Sustainable infrastructure and strategic, long-term management keep rates affordable.
Life requires water. People, animals and plants cannot survive without it. As I retiree myself, I am sensitive to monthly expenses. The WaterOne Board reviews the rates annually. The current program charges a lower rate for the first several gallons, based on systematic studies that identify average daily needs. Water used in excess of that is charged at a higher rate. The more someone uses, the more they pay and at a higher rate.
As a board member, I will prioritize sustainability, infrastructure and affordable rates to best serve Johnson County and its needs.
Member 6
Jim McNair
The rates are $22 a month for low volume users (700 gallons or less) – for award-winning water, delivered to your home. Imagine what that much milk or gasoline would cost.
The reason this is so low is because of the tiered rate plan currently in place. WaterOne low-volume customers are included in a large system with high-volume irrigators that cover costs and allow for the low rates for low-volume customers.
Social Security is inflation adjusted — and the proposed rate increases are below the inflation rate. But we can do better. The board should take a stronger approach with the management to pull out non-essential items during these challenging times.
Since the existing base rates are so low, awarding price breaks to designated groups will cost more to administer than the price breaks. This creates more cost that the other groups must pay. Are we going to track when an elderly individual moves out of a home and a younger family member moves in? Does a landlord of a multifamily unit get a price break when a low-income tenant moves in and loses the price break when they move out? Will the landlord even pass on the price break? Should we give price breaks to irrigators because they help the environment?
The proposed rate hike should be lowered by reducing non-essential spending. This will maintain our fairness principle. Even our young families that are struggling to buy a home would have the benefit from these lower rates.
Whitney Wilson (incumbent)
Making sure everyone has access to clean affordable water in Johnson County is my top priority. The rate structure is supported by the rate payer, i.e. the customer, so as a board, we have to think about affordability across all 440,000+ customers. As a public water official, I have specific training on rate structure development and ongoing management that supports the needs of the water utility customers of Johnson County.
I believe WaterOne does have an equitable rate structure for our community. The structure is essentially, “the more you use, the more you pay.” In other words, golf courses & large commercial businesses that use large quantities of water pay more than a JCCC student and fixed-income neighbor, both of whom use comparatively less water. This rate structure is regarded at a national level by the American Water Association Members as innovative for utility management.
Even so, I know there are times when community members can still have trouble paying their bills and making ends meet due to life circumstances. Growing up, I remember having those specific challenges when I was in school. It’s certainly a difficult position to be in. For those community members facing hardship, I recommend they call the WaterOne customer support line where they can help direct folks to resources partially funded by WaterOne and the county to offset the cost of their bills. Email or call me if you have other ideas to support equity.
Member 7
Renee Dinsmore
Identifying ways to help pay for basic needs is at the core of my research agenda as a policy scholar. My first published paper found that communities that looked out for each other during the foreclosure crisis fared better than communities that did not.
WaterOne is correct in that they are among some of the lowest utility rates. Further, WaterOne manages a tiered usage rate. Based on national calculation and metrics, the water required for basic needs is billed at a lower rate, and excess use is billed at a higher rate. If someone uses more, they don’t just pay more for the gallons, they pay a higher rate per gallon once they exceed the basic needs usage.
Additionally, anyone struggling to pay their water bill can contact WaterOne to see if they qualify for assistance. As a board member, I will remain committed to this program and continue to keep an open mind about other possible ways to ease the financial burden of the water utility bill.
Mark Parkins (incumbent)
WaterOne has been one of the lowest-priced water utilities in the KC metro area for many years because of careful, disciplined financial planning. We have adopted a strategic plan with an objective to maintain rates and charges that are fair and equitable. Over the past several years, we have focused more attention on affordability. The traditional benchmark for affordability was flawed because it relied on the median household income. This is higher in Johnson County. WaterOne staff created a customized metric called the “Affordability Ratio,” which was based upon recommendations of Dr. Manuel Teodoro, who is an industry leader on this topic. WaterOne’s metric uses the 20th Percentile Household Income of Johnson County and about 2,000 gallons of water per month, which covers indoor, nondiscretionary use. See more about that here.
Since 2019, our “Affordability Ratio” has improved because the board has approved changes to our rates by adjusting the amount customers pay in the second block of our rate structure, if they use water to irrigate their lawns. Our 2024 proposed budget includes a reduction in the service charge, which will REDUCE the cost of water for these low usage customers by another 5%!
In 2024, low usage customers at WaterOne will pay just $21.42 per month. In addition, WaterOne has funded the Johnson County Utility Assistance for over 10 years to ensure that they have funding to assist low-income households to pay their water bills. Currently it does not seem necessary to lower bills for any group of customers.
