MESA — Mesa residents and businesses will likely pay more for water, wastewater and trash service next year after the City Council on Monday formally launched the process to raise utility rates.
The council adopted a notice of intention to adjust rates at its Oct. 5 meeting, which starts a 60-day window for public feedback. A public hearing and final vote are set for Dec. 8, and if the council approves the plan, the new rates would take effect Feb. 1, 2027, according to the city and reporting by AZFamily and ABC15.
The city says most households would see their monthly utility bill rise by less than $6. In a news release quoted by ABC15, Mesa said the yearly review lets it make “smaller, predictable adjustments instead of large, sudden increases.”
What it would cost a typical home
The proposal, presented at a Sept. 24 study session and detailed by the Mesa Tribune, touches nearly every line on the bill:
- Water: The monthly service charge would rise 3.5% for all customers and the drought commodity charge would go up 13 cents. Residential usage charges would climb between 3.5% and 4.5% depending on which of four consumption tiers a household falls into. A home using 6,000 gallons a month would pay about $1.69 more.
- Wastewater: The residential service charge would rise 7.5%. A typical household sending 4,000 gallons a month down the drain would pay about $2.26 more.
- Trash and recycling: The 90-gallon residential barrel would go up 5.5%, or $1.92, and the Mesa Green and Clean fee would rise 5 cents, for a combined $1.97 a month. Residential bulk pickup and appliance collection would each rise $4.
Businesses and big water users pay more
Commercial customers face steeper water increases. Under the proposal, general commercial usage charges would rise 13%, large-commercial users 23%, other non-residential customers 12% and non-residential landscape accounts 15%, the Tribune reported. The city defines a large-commercial user as one consuming 7.5 million gallons a month for at least six months of the year. A restaurant using 9,000 gallons a month would pay about $6.43 more, and a commercial landscape account using 33,000 gallons about $30.13 more. The city did not provide a bill estimate for the largest users, such as data centers.
Wastewater service charges for non-residential customers would rise 8.5%, and commercial front-load trash, front-load recycling and roll-off service would rise 6%, 9% and 6%, respectively.
‘The era of cheap water is gone’
The debate at the study session centered on water, as Arizona prepares for deeper Colorado River cuts next year. Vice Mayor Scott Somers worried that steadily rising landscape charges could push homeowners associations and shopping centers to let trees and turf die, but concluded, “Unfortunately the era of cheap water is gone and we’re going to have to get smarter,” according to the Tribune.
Councilwoman Dorean Taylor said she was no fan of raising rates and urged staff to comb the budget for savings first, while Councilman Rich Adams called the approach fair and said he preferred price signals to watering restrictions.
City utilities analyst Erik Hansen told the council that the typical combined water and wastewater bill would equal about 1.1% of Mesa’s median household income. City officials also said Mesa’s combined cost of property taxes, city sales tax, trash, water and wastewater ranks third-lowest among Valley cities for fiscal 2026-27.
How to weigh in
Residents and businesses can review the proposal on the city’s utility rates page at mesaaz.gov and submit comments during the 60-day period ahead of the Dec. 8 hearing. The city also offers help for customers who have trouble paying their utility bills.
Photo: Ixnayonthetimmay via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). File photo of Mesa City Plaza, home to Mesa City Hall, in downtown Mesa, 2010.
Sources: Mesa Tribune; AZFamily; ABC15.
This article was produced with AI assistance and is based on reporting from Mesa Tribune, AZFamily and ABC15.