Sewer and stormwater bills are going up for households in Tigard, Tualatin, and Durham after the Clean Water Services Board of Directors unanimously adopted a $675.3 million budget.

The increases took effect July 1.

Durham residents, who receive both local and regional services directly from CWS, will see a 6.4 percent increase on their bills, or $4.28 more per month for the average household.

About $1.89 of that jump reflects a 21 percent hike in local sewer rates, which CWS said had fallen behind the actual cost of maintaining sanitary sewer infrastructure.

Tigard and Tualatin residents face a different equation. Both cities provide local sewer and stormwater services within their own limits and set their own local rates, so the CWS regional-only increase of 4 percent, or less than $2 per month for a typical household, is what flows through to their utility bills. Any additional local rate changes would come from each city separately.

All five board members voted yes.

The board is composed of the Washington County commissioners: Chair Kathryn Harrington, Nafisa Fai, Pam Treece, Jason Snider, and Vice Chair Jerry Willey.

"I feel very confident that we are making the right decisions here, and that a very thorough review has been completed," Snider said during the June 9 public hearing.

The June 9 meeting was also the first for new General Manager Rahim Harji, who joined CWS on Thursday, May 28, after serving as deputy city manager for the City of Hillsboro.

Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Leader said the budget reflects cost-saving measures, including no new full-time positions and a materials and services line $1.4 million below what was initially requested.

The total budget of $675.3 million is down from last year's $752.2 million.

The board also adopted a Capital Improvement Plan covering fiscal years 2027 through 2031 at the same meeting. CWS has not yet released a project list or dollar breakdown for the plan.

A CWS cost-of-service study found that local rates had not kept pace with the cost of delivering services, particularly sanitary sewer. The board adopted the study's cost-allocation methodology as the basis for a 10-year financial plan and future rate-setting.

The CWS Budget Committee, composed of five board members plus five community representatives from the Clean Water Services Advisory Commission, heard public comment on Friday, May 8, before recommending the budget for adoption.

CWS board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. and the fourth Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building, 155 N. First Ave., Hillsboro. Residents can sign up to testify by emailing [email protected] or calling 503-615-6241.