The ability of a utility to fund and maintain adequate reserves to meet utility objectives is one indicator of financial condition. Utilities operate as an enterprise (i.e. a business), typically with a goal to be financially self-supporting without subsidization from non-utility revenues, such as a City’s general fund. For a given utility to be truly … Read more
Reserve funding was included in the range of data collected as part of the 2012 Utility Rate Survey. Survey participants were asked to identify whether or not they routinely fund reserves through their water or wastewater utility, and if so, what they used as the reserve target(s). Figure 1 presents the percentage of survey respondents … Read more
As many cities in western North Dakota experience rapid growth, there may be occasions when a city needs to consider a Special Improvement District to finance growing infrastructure needs. The simple definition of a Special Improvement District, also known as Special Assessment District, is a tax on private property to meet the cost of a … Read more
Municipalities in all 50 states have access to low-interest funding for projects that improve water quality or improve wastewater infrastructure. Clean Water / Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs have provided more than $5 billion annually in recent years for wastewater treatment, nonpoint source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management. According to … Read more