Public Hearing Tonight on McLean Water Rate Increase

The Falls Church City Council holds the last of two public hearings tonight on an eight percent increase to its water customers. McLean residents are among those customers.

The council is expected to vote on the increase at the end of the public hearing.

Here are 5 things you need to know about your water bill.

1. Last week the Falls Church city council gave tentative approval to the price increase from $3.03 per 1,000 gallons to $3.27 per 1,000 gallons. McLean residents are among 34,500 customers served by the City of Falls Church Water and therefore facing a price increase of between $2-$8 per household. Ninety percent of Falls Church water customers live in Fairfax County.

2. A consultant hired by Falls Church has recommended eight percent increases for each year over a three-year period.

3. The Falls Church mayor, vice mayor and city manager attended last week's McLean Citizens Association meeting to talk about the proposed rates.

They said the city had not increased its prices in six years. Operational costs, electric costs and the cost of water have increased plus $30 million in capital improvements needed to the system necessitated the rate increase.

4. Falls Church Water and Fairfax Water have a contentious relationship. In 2010,  Fairfax county won a court case against Falls Church. Under that decision, Falls Church can no longer transfer excess water money to the city's general fund. Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the MCA that the city had been transferring $2.2-$2.9 million a year from the water revenue to the city's operating budget.

MCA officials and Fairfax Water officials have raised the same question about the price increase: "How can a water system that has been so profitable under the current rates now need such a large cash infusion. Even though those rates were adopted in 2005, they were throwing off millions of dollars a year in profits, including through last year."

5. Falls Church rates are nearly $30 higher than Fairfax Water rates. Fairfax charges $57.31 per 24,000 gallons per quarter. Falls Church's rate is $80, according to numbers compiled by Falls Church.

5.5 Falls Church officials, when asked by the MCA if they would make refunds to customers, said no. Shields explained that the judge's order required the city to stop transferring water revenues to city coffers but did not require any refunds to customers.

If you want to attend tonight's public hearing:

7:30 pm, in the City of Falls Church City Council chambers, 400 Park Ave., Falls Church.

Full Disclosure: McLean Patch is a Falls Church water customer.