Birmingham Water Works to hold town hall meeting in Hoover Thursday

by

The Birmingham Water Works on Thursday night, Oct. 19, is holding a town hall meeting in Hoover to discuss a proposed rate increase for 2024 and the utility’s 2024 budget.

Water Works officials have proposed a 5.8% increase in water rates next year, which would amount to an increase of about $2.76 a month for the average residential customer, spokesman Rick Jackson said. That follows a 3.9% increase that took effect at the beginning of this year.

The 2024 rate increase, if approved by the Birmingham Water Works Board next month, would take effect Jan. 1, Jackson said. The increase is needed to help cover rising costs for things such as gasoline and chemicals, he said. Plus, the Water Works plans to put $25 million into infrastructure improvements, such as water main replacements, Jackson said.

The utility’s proposed 2024 operations and maintenance budget is $133 million (up 6.2% from $125 million in 2023), and the proposed capital budget is $84 million, he said.

Thursday night’s town hall meeting in Hoover is being held at Aldridge Gardens at 3530 Lorna Road at 5:30 p.m. Another town hall meeting was held Tuesday night at the Birmingham Crossplex and drew about 50 people, Jackson said. The utility is looking for feedback from the public.

The Birmingham Water Works Board plans to hold a public hearing about its proposed 2024 budget on Nov. 6 at the Water Works office at 3600 First Ave. N. in Birmingham. The board then plans to vote on the budget on Nov. 15, Jackson said.

Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Water Works serves nearly 770,000 people in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair and Walker counties. The utility operates four filtration plants and a certified testing laboratory and has more than 4,000 miles of pipe in its distribution network.

To see a complete copy of the proposed 2024 budget, go to bwwb.org.