News Flash

Keep up-to-date with what is happening on projects within the city and sign up to receive text notifications of important project announcements.

UPDATE: A town hall forum on the utility and trash rate increases will be held Tuesday, July 9 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center, where the public can learn more about the rate increases and ask any questions they may have about how this will impact their bill.

Did you know debris and discarded items in the wastewater system regularly cause the equipment that pumps the raw sewage to the Wetlands and Water Reclamation Facility to become clogged? Those pumps must then be cleaned out manually by staff, who are exposed to the raw sewage to complete the task. Did you know a water leak can often go undetected for up to two months before a homeowner will see the effect on their bill? Do you suffer with low water pressure where you live?

Among the Public Utilities projects being proposed in the 2025 Capital Improvement Plan, which will be completed over the next five years, is a wastewater influent grinder replacement that will prevent the pumps from becoming clogged; automated water meters that allow earlier detection of leaks; and a northeast booster pump to increase water pressure in that area. These are just three of a variety of projects that will guarantee the continued water and sewer services our residents expect.

In preparation for these, and other, projects, the City of El Dorado had a water rate study completed. This helped determine where rates should be to fund the various projects over the next five years, including the 2024 increase approved by the City Commission at their first June meeting. For the average El Dorado home (based on water use of 5,600 gallons a month), the increase will be 38 cents a month for water and 69 cents a month for sewer, bringing the total increase to just over $1 a month beginning in July 2024. This will give you an idea of where your rates will be when you compare your monthly water usage to the 5,600 average.

In addition to this year’s increase, there are also proposed rate increases which will be presented to the El Dorado City Commission in future years. For the average household use, those monthly increases are proposed to only be: $1.07 in 2024; $1.59 in 2025; $1.69 in 2026; $1.98 in 2027; and 97 cents in 2028.

In addition to water and sewer, the City Commission also recently approved a trash rate increase to help fund new equipment and the continued level of service currently provided. Beginning in July 2024, trash will increase $1 a month; with proposed increases of 50 cents in 2025; no change in 2026; 50 cents in 2027; and no change in 2028.

The proposed increases will only be brought to the Commission if needed.

The City is launching a new video series - Citizens Academy. This will be an owner’s manual of how local government works and how citizens can interact with the government to achieve the results desired by the community. The videos will be released weekly over a period of time and will include a large variety of topics, including city budgets, the different departments within the city, how the City Commission works, what the role of the City Manager is and more. You will be able to find all of the videos that have been released on our website, as well as on our YouTube channel. There also will be a link for all new videos posted on our social media. If you want to be notified as new videos are released, please sign up for text or email notifications.

This is El Dorado, is a newsletter from the City Manager’s Office intended to connect citizens with their local government. The newsletter will feature upcoming events and local government happenings to inform citizens of El Dorado. Story briefs will contain insights from City Manager David Dillner, as well as Department Directors and other local government officials. The newsletter will report on the status of various projects and inform residents of ways to engage with their local government.