Commissioners to Consider Rate Modifications at December 2nd Public Hearing
- November 5, 2026 | Category: Board of Water Commissioners, Your Water
Having high-quality water at the turn of a tap is a convenience that many in the world do not have, and yet it is something often taken for granted. Treating, transporting, and storing water for people to use comes at significant expense, and these costs are the basis for fees that all water providers charge, while ensuring that charges are fairly allocated to all types of customers.
Medford Water is committed to providing reliable, high-quality water service to everyone in our system at the best value. To do this, we conduct annual reviews of our water rates for all customer classes to determine the revenue necessary to fund replacement of aging infrastructure (parts of our system are over 100 years old), improvements and expansion of existing facilities, and the construction of new resilient facilities. Our system has expanded to meet the needs of our community over the last 100 years, and we must continue that growth so that we can continue to provide reliable service for the next 100.
In addition to maintaining and expanding our system, inflationary increases in operating costs—such as electricity and treatment chemicals—are a factor as well. We receive no support from local taxes, and our revenues do not support other City of Medford work; revenue from water rates and other fees stay with us to be invested in the water system. To reduce impacts to customers, we have sought out federal funding sources, such as Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act funding ($97M of low-interest rate loan terms awarded in 2022) that is being applied to several large-scale infrastructure projects, such as our Capital Hill Reservoir Replacement Project and new Operation Center.
This year’s Cost-of-Service Study will determine any rate modifications necessary to address the rising costs of operating our community’s water system, which will be considered by the Board of Water Commissioners following a public hearing on December 2, 2026. The purpose of this hearing is to review the proposed adjustments, explain why these changes are being considered, and gather feedback from our customers and community members. If approved, any modifications would take effect March 1, 2027.
All members of the public are welcome to attend board meetings and speak on an item. Go to our Agendas page (medfordwater.org/agendas) for details on meetings; agendas are posted the week prior to the meeting. A non-inclusive summary of the modified rates, detailed schedules for all customer classes, and water rate FAQs will be available ahead of the hearing on our Water Rates page (medfordwater.org/rates). Contact us at 541-774-2430 with any questions.
