Coliban Water is inviting customers to comment on its Community Draft, which is a summary of the intended levels of pricing and investment for the next five years.
Managing Director Damian Wells said the draft plan considers feedback from customers, including a 32-member Community Panel.
“For the first time in our history, we supported an independently facilitated Community Panel to ensure we had strong community participation in our planning for the future,” said Mr Wells
“The Panel worked for five days to develop recommendations that have been accepted by the Coliban Water Board. The recommendations of the Panel, combined with customer feedback we have been gathering over the past five years, inform our draft pricing plan.
“The region is at a critical point in its water supply and demand. We are experiencing the effects of climate change, our population is growing and our infrastructure is aging. A key aspect of our plan is to increase capital investment to $435 million for upgrades and renewals of our water service assets including drinking water plants, sewerage treatment facilities and pipe networks in the towns we serve.”
Coliban Water is 100% customer funded, and the water and sewage services in our region are managed and operated on behalf of the community by Coliban Water.
“The money that our customers pay through their water and sewer bill goes towards infrastructure and services that benefit the entire community and the environment. Our infrastructure needs constant attention to remain efficient and meet demand,” Mr Wells said.
A formal review process of pricing is completed every five years by the independent Essential Services Commission to ensure the outcomes reached and the bills customers pay recover only what we need, that there are built-in measures to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, and that a balance is struck between delivering reasonable prices today and preparing for the future.
“Our consultation process has established that our customers understand the need for a modest increase in customer bills to invest in our water assets,” Mr Wells said.
“The plan proposes to phase-in price rises from 2023 to 2028. For the average household, this results in bill increases of approximately $0.70 per week, excluding inflation. This modest increase will be invested into upgrades and renewals of our assets and supporting customers experiencing vulnerability, while still remaining below the national average water bill,” he said.
Coliban Water recognises the cost of living pressures facing some members of our community. As a result, the proposed price increase will be phased-in over the first two years to make the transition for customers a smoother one.
“Our Customer Support Programs will be boosted to $570,000 per year to support residential and business customers who may need assistance. Our team is trained to provide confidential advice, support or referral to other services,” Mr Wells said.
The Community Draft is open throughout the month of July for customer feedback.
“We are encouraging all our customers to read the draft plan and have their say.”
The draft plan is available now via Connect Coliban.