Some Mid-Missouri water users face potential $15 monthly bill increase

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri American Water customers in Mid-Missouri could be billed $15 more per month under a proposal submitted to state regulators.

Seven public hearings have been set for December to discuss a general rate increase, the Missouri Public Service Commission announced in a news release Tuesday.

According to the PSC, Missouri American Water Company filed contracts with the commission requesting a net increase in annual base rate revenues of about $191.9 million.

This will make for a drastic spike in water bills. The average St. Louis County customer using 5,900 gallons per month would be billed $23 more. Customers outside St. Louis County who use 4,500 gallons would have to pay an additional $15 per month.

Missouri American Water serves at least 11,697 customers in the Jefferson City area, its service area map shows. There are more than 400 users in Wardsville and Taos, respectively. Missouri American has about 5,400 customers in the Mexico area and about 8,700 in Warrensburg.

Five in-person public hearings and two virtual ones are scheduled to allow people the opportunity to ask questions and provide testimony to the commission. Each will begin with a question-and-answer session followed by public testimony.

The hearing schedule is as follows:

• Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. (in-person) – Governor State Office Building, Room 310, in Jefferson City.
• Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. (in-person) – University of Missouri–St. Louis, Millennium Student Center, Century Room C, 17 Arnold B. Grobman Drive, in St. Louis.
• Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. (in-person) – Missouri Southern State University, Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center, Cornell Auditorium, 3950 E. Newman Road, in Joplin.
• Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. (in-person) – Branson RecPlex, Community Room C, 1501 Branson Hills Parkway, in Branson.
• Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. (in-person) – St. Joseph City Hall, City Council Chambers, 1100 Frederick Ave., in St. Joseph.
• Dec. 17 at noon (virtual) – meeting number/access code: 2631 278 7030. Password: 0304
• Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. (virtual) – meeting number/access code: 2865 616 2337. Password: 0304

To join a virtual hearing by phone, call toll-free 1-312-535-8110, listen to the prompt and enter the meeting number/access code, followed by the pound symbol.

Members of the public looking to attend a virtual hearing are also encouraged, but not required, to register in advance, the release says. People are asked to send their first and last name, phone number, email address and the hearing they will attend to pscinfo@psc.mo.gov or by calling 1-800-392-4211 no later than 5 p.m. the day before the hearing.

Customers who can not attend a hearing and would like to provide a written comment can submit them to the PSC at P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, or by using the commission’s online comment form, using reference file number WR-2026-0304.

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