photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

A water tower that serves Baldwin City located a couple miles north of the downtown area.

Baldwin City officials said during a public meeting on Tuesday night they anticipate increases to utility rates as the city aims to increase its reserve funds.

That news came during a community forum about electric rates, where a couple dozen residents gathered to learn about and give feedback on the potential for rate increases. As the Journal-World reported, Gerry Cullumber, the recently elected mayor of Baldwin City, said the council last year elected to raise electricity rates by an average of 20%.

While the rates are anticipated to not be that high this year, Russ Harding, Baldwin City’s administrator, told the gathered residents that the city anticipates raising the electric rates by about 2.43% for the next year. He said that rate would bring the city to right within its needed fund balance range.

Along with discussion on the electricity rates, officials shared the forecasted rates for the water and waste water utility rates for the next two years. Currently, the proposed rates would rise by 4.5% for 2026 and 5% for 2027. According to a presentation from the city, the City of Lawrence, where Baldwin City gets its water from, increased the cost for raw water and treated water by 9%, which is part of the need for increases.

Even with the increase in rates, city officials note that based on projections, Baldwin City’s reserve fund for its water utility would still be below its recommended levels for how much money the city should have in reserve.

The waste water utility rate as proposed would increase by 8.15% in 2026 and 7.9% in 2027. According to a presentation, the reserve fund for the waste water utility is “projected to be well below” the recommended level as well. Harding said it would take “roughly three years” to bring the reserve fund to the right levels based on current projections.

Several residents in attendance at the meeting expressed their frustration with the increased rates with city officials. Two attendees claimed that their monthly electrical bills had doubled since the increased rates.

Elizabeth Smith spoke after the presentation saying that while both rates are being raised and with the reserves “below where they are supposed to be,” it seemed similar to her to the case with the electrical rates. She said that based on the increases to those rates — along with the additional hike on the electrical rate — those costs will add up “when (residents) pay it.”

Harding said that the final rates will be decided by the Baldwin City Council during its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 17.