Happy June 3rd! I love summer and hope you are enjoying the sunshine!
Yesterday, I officially filed to become a candidate for Provo City Mayor. If more than two candidates file (Mayor Michelle Kaufusi has also filed for her third term), there will be a primary election on August 12th (mail-in ballots will be sent out three weeks before). The top two vote-getters in the primary will move on to the general election, which will be held on November 4th.
I will be posting events and updates on my website, marshaforprovo.com.
MONDAYS WITH MARSHA
For the past year and a half, I have been making 3-4 minute videos that I put out on Mondays (usually) where I talk about Utah politics, laws, and other issues people have asked me about. The last four have been about Utah’s tax system. You can watch these videos on Instagram (@marshajudkins), Facebook (click here), or my YouTube channel (click here).
WATER RATES
Over the past two years, water rates in Provo have been a major topic of discussion. After watching meetings, asking questions, and speaking with city officials, here’s a brief overview.
The Challenge
About 15 years ago, a study found that Provo’s water infrastructure was aging and starting to fail. It recommended proactively replacing old pipes, which is about 60% cheaper than waiting for them to break. A follow-up study two years ago confirmed the same findings and recommended a 15% increase to the infrastructure budget.
Thanks to cost-saving efforts by Provo’s Public Works Director, Gordon Haight, the needed increase was brought down to 5%. The city now needs to raise enough revenue to meet that need while complying with state conservation requirements.
State Mandate: Tiered Water Rates
To promote conservation, the Utah Legislature passed HB 274, requiring cities to adopt tiered water rates—the more water you use, the more you pay. This approach helps ensure people pay for what they actually use, especially during peak demand periods.
Not All Water Costs the Same
In fall, winter, and spring, Provo’s water is relatively cheap and easy to deliver. But in the summer, the highest-using 10% of households drive up costs. Their demand requires extra infrastructure—like larger pumps and additional storage tanks—making those gallons much more expensive.
Currently, lower water users are subsidizing high users. Importantly, this isn’t driven by population growth; Provo could add thousands of new residents of without major infrastructure costs—unless those new users also become extremely high water users.
The Administration’s Original Plan
The proposed rate structure aimed to:
- Meet the state’s conservation mandate.
- Raise enough revenue to fund infrastructure improvements.
It introduced three tiers (the higher tiers only have an effect during the peak water usage months of summer):
- Tier 1 (lowest users): Rates would decrease for about 50% of residents.
- Tier 2 (moderate users): Slight increase; affects about 40%.
- Tier 3 (highest users): Highest increase; affects about 10% of households.
This plan was approved in a 6–0 City Council work session vote and was expected to pass at the next meeting.
The Mayor’s Last Minute Proposal
Before the scheduled vote, the Mayor proposed an alternative: raise Tier 3 rates by only half the proposed amount. This would generate only half the needed revenue, continue the subsidy for high users, and offer less incentive to conserve. If this plan is adopted, it is very likely that another fee increase will have to be adopted in the future in order for the city to have revenue to replace the aging infrastructure.
Where Things Stand
Several members of the City Council have worked on another proposal with their staff that will not have the shortfall inherent in the mayor’s proposal. This will be presented today at the Council’s work meeting that starts at 1:30pm. You can watch the work meeting on the City Council’s YouTube channel. So as of now, there’s still no finalized plan to fund the water infrastructure replacement, but a plan, whether the Mayor’s or the Council’s, will be adopted in two weeks at the City Council meeting.
As always, if you have any questions or comments for me, please reach out. I’m ready to listen, dive into issues like this and deliver the best possible outcome for the taxpayers and Provo residents and families.