Water Rates Increasing Effective on July 31, 2025 Billing

The CBB Board of Directors has approved a rate increase that is set to go into effect on the July 31, 2025 billing.

The increase is needed to cover the increased cost of the water we purchase from Bossier City.  Bossier’s rate to us will increase approximately 20% on August 1, 2025. Additionally, overall costs of materials, supplies, repairs and insurance have increased a significant amount in recent years.  Lastly, the State Department of Health has been pressing water systems throughout the state to operate at a minimum sustainability rate of 1.15 (revenues exceed expenses by 15%).  When our rates were last increased (August 2021) a sustainability rate of 1.10 was used.  The new rates were based on the recommended sustainability rate of 1.15.

The new rates, set to go into effect on July 31, 2025, are shown below:

Residential

Base Rate - up to 2,000 gallons, from current rate of $25.00 per month to $30.00 per month

Middle Tier - 2,001 gallons to 5,000 gallons, from current rate of $7.50 per thousand gallons (or any portion thereof) to $10.00 per thousand (or any portion thereof)

Upper Tier - over 5,000 gallons, from current rate of $8.20 per thousand gallons (or any portion thereof) to $11.00 per thousand (or any portion thereof)

Commercial

Base Rate - up to 8,000 gallons (down from the current 10,000 gallons), from current rate of $80.00 per month to $100.00 per month

Usage over 8,000 gallons, from current rate of $7.50 per thousand gallons (or any portion thereof) to $11.00 per thousand (or any portion thereof)

Churches

Base Rate - up to 5,000 gallons, from current rate of $40.00 per month to $50.00 per month

Usage over 5,000 gallons, from current rate of $7.50 per thousand gallons (or any portion thereof) to $11.00 per thousand (or any portion thereof)

The amounts shown above do not include the $1.00 Safe Drinking Water Fee charged by the State and collected by the System, which will remain unchanged.

Requirements contained in Act 444 passed by the Louisiana Legislature during the 2016 Regular Session (House Bill 729) were followed by the System in working through the rate increase process, including having a Rate Analysis performed by the Louisiana Rural Water Association (LRWA).  The new rates were recommended by the LRWA as a result of their analysis. Since CBB Water is a member-owned, non-profit organization that has outstanding loans with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as required by the above-mentioned Act, the USDA was asked to, and provided, concurrence with the need for this increase.

The Board would also like our members to know that we are currently working on the development of a System Improvement Plan (SIP) to be submitted to the Louisiana Department of Health that will detail near-term and long-term improvements necessary to allow the System to maintain the high-quality and reliable delivery of the water we purchase and distribute to our members.  Needed improvements already identified, along with any other projects identified by the SIP will require borrowing that will trigger the need for an additional increase in the Base Rates shown above.  Once all such projects are approved and funded (perhaps within a year) the Base Rates are likely to be increased an additional $4.00 to $5.00 per month (over and above the July 31, 2025 increase).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 318-965-0015.  We will be happy to discuss this matter with you. 

Thanks so much for your support through the years.