Property taxes do not fund the Drinking Water or Stormwater Utilities. 

The costs of producing clean, safe drinking water is recovered through utility fees.

The St. Cloud Drinking Water Facility treats up to 14 million gallons of water a day in the summer - well over 3 billion gallons a year. 

We use this water for everything from filling our water bottles, to taking showers, to doing our laundry, to making our coffee in the morning. The water isn't just used at home, either - every business, hospital, clinic, bar, and restaurant in St. Cloud also requires water. 

In addition to treating the drinking water, the Drinking Water Utility is responsible for maintaining the over 300 miles of buried pipes that convey clean water throughout the city to your home. We are also responsible for maintaining fire hydrants and water meters. 

St. Cloud is proud to be a self-sustaining water utility - we want to continue providing residents with the cleanest, best tasting water we can.  The new rates will help us with:

• Delivering over 3 billion gallons of safe drinking water per year
• Maintaining over 300 miles of pipes to maintain water quality and reduce pipe corrosion
• Inspecting and maintaining over 3,300 hydrants in the City
• Responding to main breaks, extreme weather events and other emergencies
• Assuring that fire flow is available to protect life and property
• Continuing to make improvements to St. Cloud's Drinking Water Facility in order to provide the best possible water for our residents
• Reading over 19,000 meters on a bi-monthly basis

The average median single-family home utility bill will increase by a very small amount

For the average family in St. Cloud, the Drinking Water charges will increase by only $3.50/month, or $7.00/billing cycle. 

The stormwater fee will increase by $2.40/month per household.