What do NBU’s new rates cost a low-use household?

Same modeled consumption in both years; water charges only.

Here is how the larger water increase develops. The FY 2027 tariff charges $2.60 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000, $6.28 for the next 3,000, and $9.66 for gallons 6,001 through 12,000. A separate $2.97-per-1,000-gallon water supply fee applies only above 6,000 gallons. That means the 12,000-gallon example crosses both a higher-priced tier and the supply-fee threshold; the 6,000-gallon example does neither.

Who pays, and what does conservation change?

Wastewater has its own fixed and volume charges. The listed Residential 1 fixed charge rose from $36.19 to $38.97 a month, an increase of $2.78 even at zero modeled billable volume. Its volume rate rose from $8.51 to $9.16 per 1,000 billable gallons. At a constant modeled 4,600 billable gallons, the wastewater charge rose $5.77, from $75.34 to $81.11. The $38.97 fixed charge remains within that $81.11 illustration even if a customer cuts water use during a particular month.

Comal.News calculations from NBU’s published wastewater tariffs; billable volume is held constant.

NBU describes FY 2027 as the second year of a two-year rate plan approved in June 2025. It says rate revenue supports maintenance, reliability, growth-related capacity and compliance. The trade-off is visible in the tariff itself: a fixed charge collects money for service even when a customer uses little water, while higher usage still adds a larger variable charge. NBU’s Your Rates at Work explanation gives the utility’s account of why rates changed.

What has to go right?

NBU's FY 2027 operating plan projects $244.2 million in capital expenditures across the utility. It also projects $370.5 million in operating revenue and $309.6 million in operating expenses. Those are utilitywide forecasts, not the amounts added to a water or wastewater customer’s bill. The rate tables show what a given level of service costs; the financial plan sets out the larger spending picture against which future results can be checked.

What the model can tell you

The comparisons use the same water use or billable wastewater volume in each year. A customer’s actual meter size, consumption, wastewater billing average or maximum, other services, city charges, taxes and drought surcharges can change the total. To check a specific bill, start with its meter size and billed volumes, then compare the FY 2026 wastewater tariff and FY 2027 wastewater tariff alongside the water tables. The next published rate table or financial report will provide another public checkpoint for the fixed charge and NBU’s spending forecasts.