Deficit spending, increased sewerage costs heading to this Pierce County city next year
The city of Ruston is planning to increase its monthly sanitary sewer flow charges in the next two years, bringing them in line with what the city of Tacoma charges, according to Tuesday’s council agenda.
Ruston pays Tacoma for its sewage services, and the last time the city of Ruston increased its sewer rates was 2023.
Meanwhile, the city anticipates deficit spending of as much as $100,000 in 2025 as general-fund expenses outpace revenues.
An ordinance before the council Tuesday would not change the fixed sewer rate for Ruston customers, which has remained unchanged since 2017. It would bring the flow charges equal to what Tacoma charges its customers in 2025 and 2026, which has gone up, according to city documents.
“By increasing the sanitary sewer flow rates to be the same as Tacoma charges its sanitary sewer customers … the City will ensure that its sanitary sewer utility is self-sustaining and that these increased costs are born by the ratepayers rather than the general public,” Ruston city attorney Jennifer Robertson wrote in a proposed ordinance before the council Tuesday. “The first rate increase will take effect on January 21, 2025, with the second rate increase taking effect on January 21, 2026.”
How much more will residents and businesses pay?
Wastewater rates are based on the amount of fresh water a household or business uses during a billing cycle. Customers are charged a fixed monthly rate plus a flow charge per hundred cubic feet of water used, according to the city of Tacoma’s website.
In 2024, Ruston residents were charged $67.67 in addition to $6.05 per hundred cubic feet, a $0.40 flow charge increase from 2023.
Commercial properties were charged a fixed rate of $55.60 in addition to a range of $8.47 to $18.39 per hundred cubic feet of water, based on the type of business. The flow charge for commercial businesses went up between $0.63 and $1.37 in 2024.
In 2025 and 2026, Ruston is not changing the fixed rate, but residents and commercial businesses should expect to pay more in their flow charges.
For residents that would look like $0.22 more in 2025 and $0.07 more in 2026. That equates to flow charges of $6.27 per hundred cubic feet of water in 2025 and $6.34 per hundred cubic feet in 2026.
Commercial businesses can expect to pay between $0.26 and $1.48 more per hundred cubic feet of water in 2025 and between $0.44 to $1.40 more in 2026. That equates to flow charges between $8.73 and $19.87 in 2025 and $9.17 to $21.27 in 2026.
Ruston seeing budget deficit, challenges from Point Ruston business issues
Tuesday night is the city of Ruston’s final public hearing on its 2025 preliminary budget. The city is projected to have $8,242,302 in total revenue and expenditures, according to city documents. The budget consists of a beginning balance of $2,064,722 plus interfund transfers of $307,000 and operating revenues of $5,870,580.
Ruston’s 2025 budget contains “a very modest 12% projected increase in revenues” compared to 2024, Mayor Bruce Hopkins wrote in a letter to the council and residents dated Tuesday.
“Expenses in our General Fund continue to out pace our revenue growth and 77% of our expense is tied directly to public safety. The Levy lid lift that passed two years ago helped offset some of the increases, however, expenses continue to outpace revenue increases,” he wrote. “In order to continue to support our public safety it will require deficit spending currently forecasted at $100,000.”
Hopkins said the city is not forecasting any new business growth, and “The beleaguered Point Ruston development continues to navigate some very complicated legal issues, but we are confident 2025 will bring clear direction on the future direction of the site.”
In the letter, Hopkins said the majority of the Point Ruston properties have been foreclosed upon and the lender has been in talks with the city about completing the project.
“We remain optimistic that they will move forward with the development and are optimistic that development begins in 2025,” he wrote. “Obviously any development will help improve our revenue position.”
Having public safety make up 77% of current general fund expenditures is “an unsustainable distribution and will require deficit spending again this year to fully support law enforcement in the manner in which they are asking,” Hopkins said in his letter.
In a letter to Hopkins dated Sept. 14, Ruston Police Chief Nestor Bautista said he has “attempted to keep the 2025 budget to no more than a 10% increase over 2024, which is almost exclusively to put officer salaries in near-parody with the Fircrest Police Department.”
Hopkins said the five biggest sources of revenue for the city are property taxes, parking tax, sales and business and occupation tax, hotel/motel tax and utility taxes.
