Earlier this week, the Charlottesville City Council held a public hearing and the first reading on new utility rates for Fiscal Year 2026 including a sharp increase in the price of water. That story will be coming up later this week.
Much of the reason for the increase is related to a $550 million capital improvement program (CIP) adopted by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority at their meeting on May 27, 2025. Funding to cover debt service is paid for by the Albemarle County Service Authority and the City of Charlottesville.
“We’ve had a number of generational projects, as we’ve called them, and they’re moving forward,” said Bill Mawyer, executive director of the RWSA…