Breaking Down the Budget: Utility Rates Discussion

Working behind the scenes of everyday life for residents are four essential services—water, sewer, stormwater, and refuse. These services may not be flashy, but they’re vital to the public health, safety, and quality of life in our community.

These funds are supported by customer fees and managed through oversight by the Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy (TARE) and the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority (TMUA) before being reviewed by the City Council.

Overall Rate Adjustments 

Beginning in October 2025, if approved, the typical residential Tulsa utility customer can expect a bill increase of about $4.71/month, or approximately $56 per year. The increase on the total bill for customers is about 4.5%. Here’s how it breaks down: 

• Water: +5.4% 

• Sewer: +2.3% 

• Stormwater: +12% 

• Refuse & Recycling: +4% 

• EMSA (ambulance services): No increase 

These rate adjustments are lower than what was projected in the fiscal year 2026 financial plan last year and help keep Tulsa's utility rates in line with the cost of delivering services. 

All revenue collected goes to cover the cost of service for each utility and cannot be diverted to other City programs and efforts. The City of Tulsa does not, and cannot by law, make a profit on utility rates.  

Water & Sewer

TMUA manages the City’s water and sewer systems, guided by the Utility Enterprise Initiative (UEI), which assesses what indicators are needed to make sure assets are being replaced at the right time. It includes a strong focus on asset management, including pipe condition assessments, robust preventative maintenance, and strategic capital improvement programs (CIPs).  

Every 10 years, a comprehensive assessment of the water and sewer system is conducted. The City scores all pipe segments to prioritize replacements based on risk, ensuring the most urgent issues are addressed first. The ultimate goal is to provide safe and reliable services to the customers. 

Quick facts: 

• The combined water and sewer operating budget is increasing by less than 2%. 

• Last fiscal year, a 6% increase was projected for this year, but efficiencies realized this year reduced the need to just 4%. 

• Similarly, a 3% increase was planned for sewer, but only 2% is now being requested, thanks to a variety of positive operational outcomes. 

• Notably, over 2,000 known defects are in our sewer system. 

• Despite variable rainfall, wet and dry weather overflows are decreasing due to 12 years of steady investment in the system.  

• When you look at the City’s utilities individually, they remain among the lowest compared to other regional utilities (gas, electricity, cable, etc.). 

Stormwater

Stormwater services are fully funded by utility charges and are also guided by the UEI. Routine capital and capital improvement projects (CIPs) account for 31.1% of the stormwater budget. New staff, equipment and maintenance operations have allowed the City to become more proactive, addressing issues faster. What once took up to two years (like cleaning out a ditch) is now handled more efficiently.  

Nationwide, cities face a common challenge as systems age, expansion continues, and replacing a stormwater infrastructure built with sales tax becomes necessary. That’s where stormwater fees come in to help keep up with the aging infrastructure. Stormwater rates that were likely too low 30 years ago mean rates have had to increase significantly in recent years to keep up with system infrastructure needs.    

Last year, a 15% increase was expected, but thanks to a larger-than-expected fund balance, the City reduced it to 12% this year.  

Refuse & Recycling

The TARE board manages four main contracts: refuse and recycling hauling, recycling processing services, landfill solid waste disposal and the waste-to-energy plant.  

Contract prices are based on the annual consumer price index (CPI) increase and inflation rates for the year with a maximum increase of 5%. These adjustments account for the largest annual increases to the refuse and recycling services budget. 

TARE continually studies all fees and services provided as well as facilities like the green waste and household pollutants disposal sites.  

Quick facts: 

• Waste Volumes: Municipal waste is about 116,000 tons/year and recycling is about 18,000 tons/year 

• Green Waste Disposal: Residents are not charged for disposal of green waste at the Green Waste Site located at 2100 North 145th East Avenue. They can also place up to 15 bags of green waste curbside if placed in clear bags. 

• Household Pollutants Disposal: Residents can dispose of household pollutants (paints,

Deep Dive

• Water, sewer and stormwater: View the presentation | Watch the discussion 

• Refuse and recycling: View the presentation | Watch the discussion 

Customers with questions about their current bills can contact the City’s Customer Care Center by calling 311, (918) 596-2100, or sending an email to tulsa311@cityoftulsa.org.

If you need assistance paying your bill, there are several ways to get help:

1. If you find yourself behind on utility payments, you can call 311 to set up a payment plan through the automated system so you can make your utility payments on time to avoid any potential service disruptions due to non-payment.

2. Call 211 for assistance. 2-1-1 has various resources to help individuals and families in need. You can text “HELP” to (877) 836-2111 for help with food, rent, utilities and more. For more information, visit 211eok.org.

3. Utilize the Tulsa Financial Empowerment Center. The City of Tulsa and Goodwill Industries of Tulsa have an entirely free way for anyone to get help managing their finances and get connected to vital resources. To schedule a no-cost appointment with a financial counselor who can help you create a budget, get rid of debt, and stay on top of your finances, visit goodwilltulsa.org/FEC or call (918) 802-7279.

For more information about current utility rates, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/utilities.

The City Council will review all rate increases as part of the Mayor’s proposed budget. New rates, if approved, would be effective in October and appear on customers' November bills.

Find more information on the budget process including a timeline, introduction to budget basics and how you can get involved on our budget homepage.