Los Alamos Reporter

County Invites Public To Attend Hybrid Hearings July 22 For Gas And Water Rate Increases

COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

Customers of the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) are encouraged to attend public hearings for gas and water rate adjustments at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 22.

The hearings will be held during the Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities (BPU) regular meeting in the Council Chambers of the Los Alamos County Municipal Building at 1000 Central Avenue. The meeting will be held in a hybrid fashion so anyone wishing to join remotely may do so using this link.

The public will have the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the presentation. This can be done in person or via Zoom, within a three-minute time allotment. Members of the public who are unable to attend, can leave comments regarding this agenda item here.

The initial gas rate ordinance, which included a rate increase in 2026 and another in 2027, was voted down by County Council on June 9. The new gas rate ordinance proposes one rate increase in 2026. The proposed rate increase, combined with the reduced residential consumption of 70 therms, forecasts an annual average residential gas bill of $78.53 starting July 1, 2026. The current residential annual average gas bill is $67.45.

The initial water rate ordinance was adopted by County Council on June 30. However, a clerical error invalidated the adopted ordinance. The same water rate ordinance will be proposed to the BPU, and if approved, to County Council.

If approved by the BPU, the proposed gas ordinance will be introduced to the Los Alamos County Council on Tuesday, Aug. 4, followed by a second public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

If approved by the BPU, the proposed water ordinance will be introduced to the Los Alamos County Council on Tuesday, Aug. 4, followed by a second public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 25.  

The purpose behind both rate increases is to generate additional revenue to support current operations and build cash reserves required for future infrastructure maintenance and improvements.

The proposed ordinances and answers to frequently-asked-questions about each can be found on DPU’s website under the Proposed Rate Changes section header at https://ladpu.com/rates.