Water rates in Carefree to increase Oct. 1
Charges include excess use surcharge
by Brian DiTullio

CAREFREE – Customers of Carefree Water Co. who use a lot of water should brace themselves for a much higher bill after the utility’s board of directors approved an increase in rates on Sept. 4.

The new rates, which go into effect Oct. 1, separate customers into five tiers, based on the amount of water used per month, and assess a commodity charge that increases from one tier to the next.

One change in the initial rate proposal is the Excess Residential Water Surcharge, which began at $50 in Tier 3 and increased in $25 increments to $100 in Tier 5. That surcharge still begins at $50 for customers in Tier 3, but now rises $50 per tier to $150 for those in Tier 5.

The monthly service charge will go up by $7 to $35 a month for residential users with meters up to and including one inch. For households using less than 8,000 gallons a month, Tier 1, that will be the only cost increase, as the current commodity charge of $2.47 per 1,000 gallons will remain the same.

Tier 2 includes usage from 8,001 to 16,000 gallons, and that commodity charge is going up 38 cents to $3.50 per 1,000 gallons. Tier 3, 16,001 to 26,000 gallons, will result in a $3.70 charge per 1,000 gallons. Tier 4, up to 50,000 gallons, is $4 per 1,000 gallons, and Tier 5 is $4.75 per 1,000 gallons over 50,000 gallons a month.

“We want to reward those people who don’t use a lot of water,” Francom said last month.

Only a few people were present for the beginning of the meeting, and two spoke out against the rate hikes.

Resident Craig Roberts said he was shocked when he read the rate‑hike proposal, adding the charges are not family friendly. “If you fill the pool, suddenly you’re in the next tier.”

Water company Manager Stan Francom agreed the rates aren’t family friendly, but noted the demographics of Carefree show very few families with young children and the surcharge aims to cut unnecessary irrigation.

Roberts pointed out the way the rates are structured may not have the effect the board of directors desired, that being to encourage residents to conserve more water.

“If you’re far enough into it, it won’t be worth it,” Roberts said.

Board chair Wayne Fulcher informed the audience, which grew throughout the meeting due to a town council meeting that began later that evening, that water company personnel will come to customers’ homes free of charge to perform a water audit.

Francom added that if a customer has a sudden spike in their usage, an employee will notify the homeowner and ask if they need someone to check for a leak.

Both Francom and Fulcher stated the continuing drought conditions in Arizona could result in a reduction of the town’s Central Arizona Project allocation, currently 700 acre feet a year.

Francom noted the town’s supply is about 60 percent CAP water and 40 percent pumped groundwater.

The water company manager also pointed out the town’s General Plan directs the council and water board to discourage excessive water use and to encourage conservation through graduated rate increases.

Board member Lloyd Meyer noted other towns have water outages, something Carefree has not experienced since the town bought the water company, and stated the excess water surcharge will not be unique to Carefree in the coming years.

“We will not be alone in this,” Meyer said. “We’re ahead of the curve.”

The vote to increase rates was 6‑1, with board member Bob Gemmill dissenting.

Gemmill stated earlier in the meeting his belief the surcharges and tier system would have the opposite effect of what Francom intends.