Water and Sewer Utility Billing and Payments

The Town of Niskayuna funds the operation of its Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Treatment Plant, and hundreds of miles of water and sewer mains though the collection of utilities bills and property taxes.

Utilities bills are generated by applying set per gallon rates to usage measured at each property.  The revenue generated by utility bills is used to fund the day to day operations of the water and sewer department.

Large capital projects, such as water main replacement work or plant upgrades, are typically funded through borrowing.  The water and sewer fees included in property tax bills are applied towards the repayment of the resulting capital debt.

Water and sewer rates have failed to keep up with the increasing costs of providing safe and reliable drinking water to our residents and responsibly treating the wastewater generated within our town.  There has been a difference between the amount of revenue budgeted for the water and sewer funds and the amount actually received.  The new rates have been set to more adequately fund operations.

Based on the analysis of the revenue shortfalls, we calculated the true costs of running the systems considering the numbers of users (residential and commercial) and the amount of water and wastewater processed.  We did a 12 year look back, analyzing the throughput of the system and the variations of use over time.

Each user is charged for what they actually use, spreading the cost in an equitable manner.  Additionally, the new minimum usage amounts have been set to encourage water conservation.

There is a fundamental cost of having each system available within the Town. There is a cost to maintaining the pipes in the ground to keep the system available to residents. Water lines support both household use and fire protection.

The water and sewer rates are in line with those from the surrounding communities.  

Multiple public presentations were made at Town Board and Finance Committee Meetings in 2023.  A recording of the presentation can be found below. Slides from the presentation are also available below.

Link to Presentation Slides