Huntingburg council introduces 8.9% water rate increase ordinance

A Huntingburg household using the city’s average 2,000 gallons a month would see its water bill rise by about $3, from $33.32 to about $36.30, if an 8.9% increase wins final approval. The same percentage hike would hit landlords and downtown businesses as well, with larger accounts seeing bigger monthly dollar increases as usage climbs.

The Huntingburg Common Council introduced the ordinance at its April 14 meeting after a recommendation from the Utility Rate Advisory Board. The measure is still moving through the city’s formal approval process, and the next scheduled council meetings on April 28, May 12 and May 26 are the most likely checkpoints for further action.

Huntingburg’s utility code says the Utility Board must periodically review electric, gas and water rates to determine whether they meet Indiana legal standards. City records also show the 2025 Huntingburg Municipal Water Consumer Confidence Report was posted April 6, giving residents another snapshot of the system behind the bills.

The new proposal lands against a familiar backdrop in Huntingburg, where utility costs have repeatedly been tied to capital spending. In 2019, the city proposed a water rate increase connected to an $8 million project to improve the US 231 water main and the water plant. In 2024, Huntingburg moved ahead with about $40 million in wastewater facility and infrastructure updates expected to affect utility rates.

That history matters because water and wastewater systems are expensive to maintain, and utility rates often rise when cities try to keep revenue aligned with repair, debt service and long-term infrastructure needs. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission says water and wastewater proceedings under its authority can take 12 to 18 months, underscoring how long and closely scrutinized utility-rate decisions can be.

For now, the ordinance introduced at City Hall signals the start of a process, not the end of it. If the council approves the increase, Huntingburg ratepayers will begin paying more for water, and the financial pressure will extend beyond household budgets to storefronts, rental properties and other local businesses that depend on stable utility costs to stay competitive.