MARTINSBURG – For the first time since 2020, the Martinsburg City Council is looking into raising its water and sewer rates.

According to City Manager Andy Blake and Catherine Sullivan, a partner with CoxHollidaYoung PLLC, a third-party accountant assigned to investigate the water system, the price hike is necessary to account for inflation and increased costs that have eaten away at the budget for the city water and sewer systems.

The last time the rate was adjusted, according to Blake, was 2020, when the rate was raised by 33%. Since then, inflation has caused operational costs to rise by around 20%. According to Blake and Sullivan, the city is expected to be below its cash requirements to run the system in 2026 and 2027.

The proposed change would have the price rise by 10% three times over three years to avoid sticking consumers with one large price spike. That change comes to an increase of $2.16 in the first year, $2.27 in the second year and $2.61 in year three for a total of $7.14 for the average water user, using 4,000 gallons per month.

For the average sewer user, the rise equates to $4.32 in the first year, $4.76 in the second year and $5.20 in the third year, for a total of $14.28 in three years. In total, the two combined come out to an increase of $21.42 over three years.

“I know that’s a lot, but it saves having to do a 40-50% increase in a few years,” Blake said.

The council moved to have an ordinance created in June, with a first and second reading the same month. In July, it’ll have a third reading, as well as a public hearing on the ordinance. The motion passed, with only one vote against it, from Ward 5 Councilman Jason Baker. If passed, the price increase would take effect on Sept. 1 of this year.