The board of Dalton Utilities on Tuesday unanimously approved a 2024 budget that includes no rate increase for electricity. But it does call for rate increases for water, wastewater and OptiLink cable television.
The budget includes a 3% average increase in water rates and a 4% average increase in wastewater rates. It includes a $2-a-month increase in the rates of OptiLink cable television’s basic package and a $4-a-month increase in the expanded and supreme packages.
The typical residential monthly water bill inside the city of Dalton is expected to rise by $1.52, while the typical monthly water bill outside the city is forecast to rise by $1.09.
The preliminary operating budget projects $309 million in operating revenues in 2024, up from a projected $301 million in 2023. It forecasts $260 million in operating expenses, up from $233 million in 2023. The budget forecasts an operating margin of $48.9 million, down from $67.7 million
The utility said money generated from its operations generally serves one of three purposes: to support investment in maintaining and expanding the operation of facilities, to fund debt service obligations and to fund obligations associated with a transfer payment to the city’s general fund.
The budget anticipates consumption in all of the utility’s business sectors will be flat next year compared to 2023.
Various factors are pushing the utility’s costs up. Natural gas prices are forecast to rise 33% next year, and its required pension contribution will rise to $2.3 million from $800,000, a $1.5 million increase from 2023 to 2024.