Fee Studies

“The City knows this is a hard ask, but without a water and sewer system, the future of the community is at risk. With needs amounting to approximately $80 million, I am calling on our community to commit to dealing with this crisis. We can no longer turn a blind eye to a difficult situation and hope it will get fixed or hope that nothing worse happens. We need to build the Rawlins we want for ourselves and future generations to enjoy," said City Manager Tom Sarvey.

The City of Rawlins Water and Sewer Funds must have enough money to fund infrastructure, equipment, and staff. If not, we cannot provide reliable water, wastewater, or stormwater systems. 

The City of Rawlins Council reviewed Water and Sewer Rate Studies at Council Meetings on January 30th (work session), April 2nd (work session), and May 21st (regular meeting). These studies present in-depth information about the current state of water and sewer funds, infrastructure, and expenses and revenues.  

Link to Studies below. Call Community Relations at 307-328-4500 ext. 1022 or stop by City Hall for printed copies of the studies. 

On May 21st, Rawlins City Council approved water and sewer increases to provide reliable water, wastewater and stormwater systems. For the average homeowner, it is a 50% increase in their monthly utility bill from $80 to $120. The three-page summary has full sample bills for three different scenarios on the last page.  You can find the up-to-date rates at https://www.rawlinswy.gov/114/Fee-Schedule. 

Our water and sewer services, as well as the landfill and recycling, are enterprise funds. This means they are required to be self-funded through fees and are separate from the General Fund. They operate like businesses instead of being funded by taxes. If there is not enough money from fees for infrastructure updates, necessary equipment, and sufficient staffing, our service quality suffers and infrastructure is not maintained properly. 

Selected General Fund Fees were studied and increased in 2024 also. Here is the link to the rate study addressing the General Fund fees.

This included Animal Licenses and Animal Control Fees, Building Permits, Community Bus Rate, Cemetery Fees, Contractors’ Licenses, Impound and Towing Fees, Liquor, Non-resident, Solid Waste Hauler, and other Business Licenses, Recreation Rates, Rental Fees, Rochelle Ranch Golf Course Rates, Shooting Ranges Rates, Special Event Applications, Special Use Liquor Permits, and Landfill Construction and Demolition and other separated materials rates (not Municipal Solid Waste, which is commonly known as household trash). You can find the up-to-date rates at https://www.rawlinswy.gov/114/Fee-Schedule.

Additional information about the 2024 fee increases is shared in the releases linked below. These were shared in addition to typical council meeting announcements and notices: 

Click here for the 2022 Water Rate Study page.