The Lebanon Board of Public Works OK’d the department’s proposed budget, which included a utility rate increase for the fiscal year 2027 at last Wednesday’s meeting..
There would be a 4.5% overall increase across the three utilities, or $9.89 a month more, to the average residential customer, according to the executive summary of the budget.
The adopted budget (the utility summary of the 2027-2031 capital improvement plan was also adopted in that same resolution) is part of the larger, yet-to-be City Council-approved budget.
The board entered its public hearing at the meeting, which the agenda said was for the budget as well as the utility rates and fees schedule.
The FY 2027 budget continued, Shockley said in the submitted information sheet for the resolution that included the budget and utility summary, “to focus on capital projects the adopted organizational goals to assure” utility service reliability and the continued growth of utility infrastructure.
The information sheet noted that inflation on items like materials, labor, and general operating costs pressured the increase in utilities.
According to City Administrator Troy Schulte, labor cost increases were involved in the rate increases and had a significant impact on the budget, but the hopefully one-time-large bump was hoped to help staff retention so that the city could be competitive in the labor market.
The board also approved 3-0 (board member Jeremy Goforth was absent) a resolution approving and adopting a terms of utility service manual. Director Richard Shockley explained that the manual was to condense documents and codify procedures.
The TOS manual adjusted the reading and billing dates to give more time to send bills out before they were due, Shockley said. He said the department hoped it would give residents at least two weeks after they received the bill, but it could be somewhat longer.
Also in the TOS manual, Shockley said, was the addition of language for bulk water sales. He said people outside the city were purchasing bulk water to drink because of the cost of drilling wells.
The manual said bulk water sales would be for non-potable uses, and the customer had to have an approved tank with the right backflow prevention. For liability’s sake, the purchase ticket saying the water was non-potable should work, according to Shockley.
He said Public Works sold bulk water at its facility on 1401 W. Commercial St., generally for contractors.
The board also approved a resolution approving a service agreement with Survey and Mapping, LLC for Arcgis Online-Based Waster Operations and Maintenance Tracking Solution for $15,540.
The informational sheet submitted by Environmental Superintendent Eric Mork said the service would “build upon the City’s existing GIS data and dashboard framework, focusing on establishing a structured workflow between line cleaning and CCTV inspection activities, along with maintenance planning and automated reporting.”
Board member Don Anderson brought up a problem he and a resident had had in common, which was getting connected to Public Works employees through the department’s phone system. Shockley said the department would look into it and see if the issue could be resolved.
In other Public Works news, Mork had told the board on April 1 he would be departing from his position May 15, according to minutes from that meeting. Chairwoman LeAnn Mather told him at the May 6 meeting that the board wanted to wish him the best and that they appreciated his dedication.
For more news, see Wednesday's LCR (updated May 12, 2026).
