Senate Bill 44, the Missouri Water and Infrastructure Act, creates a process for filing a water and sewer infrastructure rate adjustment (WSIRA) to recover revenue outside of the normal ratemaking process. SB 44 also increases the competitive bidding process to be used for 20% of the water corporation’s external expenditures.
Highlights
- Missouri’s water infrastructure system requires continued maintenance and is expected to need $8.9 billion from 2015 - 2034.
- SB 44 creates a process to allow water corporations serving greater than 8,000 customers to adjust rates outside the normal ratemaking process.
- 12% of the U.S. population has unaffordable water and sewer rates and rates are expected to increase; the same population can be at risk for delayed maintenance.
Limitations
- Common metrics to assess water affordability consider median incomes and average water use, which may not be as applicable to the most vulnerable water customers.
