Phone: (541) 923-1041 ∙ Email: custserv@crrwater.com ∙ TTY: 711
We hope to help you better understand the requested revenue increase and how it will affect you.
Please remember that we have requested these rates through the PUC, but that doesn't mean the PUC will approve these rates. The PUC has the final say in the rates that we will charge.
Below are some of the areas affected the most by our current economy and the changes we have made in the past 8 years.
If you have further questions please email ✉ rates2023@crrwater.com ☏ (541) 923-1041
To receive notices of the time and place of hearings on the matter, contact the PUC at (800) 522-2404; TTY 711, or mail a request to:
Public Utility Commission of Oregon
Administrative Hearings Division
PO Box 1088
Salem Or 97308-1088
Calculate Your Bill
The amount requested for usage is $1.33 per 100 cubic feet. There isn't any water included in the base rate. To Calculate your estimated bill, take: Usage Total x 1.33 + Base Rate listed below for your meter.
Number of meters in the system:
5/8"x3/4" - 93%
1" - 6%
1 1/2" - .2%
2" - .7%
Proposed Residental/Commercial Base Rate with Usage
Meter Size
5/8" x 3/4"
1"
1 1/2"
2"
Base Rate
$47.76
$71.19
$118.65
$189.84
100 CF
$49.12
$72.52
$118.65
$189.84
400 CF
$53.11
$76.51
$123.97
$195.16
700 CF
$57.10
$80.50
$127.96
$199.15
1000 CF
$61.09
$84.49
$131.95
$203.14
Wages and Benefits 2015 - 2022
The largest impact we have faced over the last eight years is the personnel cost. We are faced with the challenge of providing competitive wages and benefits that will retain good staff. Wages alone have increased 39% over 2015.
Since 2010 we have had a private contractor (Avion) that would be there whenever we needed them. This allowed us to run with minimal staffing. In 2022 that contractor notified us that they could no longer provide us with that service. This meant that we needed to provide that service ourselves. For that reason, we created a Field Supervisor position and hired two more field staff for a total of three field staff. We also need to have a person on call 24/7. This, along with rising wages in our economy we have seen a 39% increase in wages over 2015.
Benefits are key to retaining good people. Providing medical insurance is key. Since 2015 we have seen a 1277% increase in medical benefits.
System Repairs 2015 to 2022
The cost of parts has spiked over the past 3 years. As an example, a backflow assembly install back in 2015 was $385, today that same install will cost the customer just over $1000. This is for parts only. We don’t charge for our labor. We have seen the cost of our repairs increase 129% over 2015.
Transportation 2015 to 2022
Now that we are taking on all of the work ourselves, we had to equip our field staff with the tools they needed to do their job efficiently and safely. We have added two field trucks to our fleet, so each field tech has a vehicle. This allows us to send them to different jobs. It also allows them to break away from a job to address a member’s concern when needed. We added a dump truck and a mini excavator to our fleet of equipment. This allows us to take care of most situations, even on nights and weekends when you can’t rent equipment or have product delivered.
The dump truck, trailer for the excavator, and two service trucks account for approximately $34,442 annually. Transportation costs are calculated separately. With fuel prices as high as they are, along with maintenance, we have seen an increase of 204% over 2015.
General Liability Insurance 2015 to 2022
General Liability Insurance, including auto insurance, has increased by 177% from 2015.
Miscellaneous Expenses 2015 to 2022
These expenses include Bank Service Charges and Merchant Fees. Merchant Fees are the fees we pay to the company that processes our credit card payments. These expenses have steadily been increasing. For example, in 2015, our Merchant Fees were $2,287; in 2022, our Merchant Fees were $13,815, a 504% increase. Overall, the Miscellaneous Expenses have increased by 177% from 2015.
Public Notice
ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO WATER SERVICE RATE TARIFFS FILED WITH THE PUC
DATE: February 16, 2023
Crooked River Ranch Water Company submitted a general rate filing to the Commission on February 16, 2023. We are seeking to increase our annual revenue by $370,571 above the $1,015,402 we collected in 2022. The purpose of this announcement is to provide you with general information regarding the proposed rates and the effect the filing may have on you.
We anticipate the increase will change the average monthly water service rates as follows:
Residential
Meter Size
5/8" & 3/4"
1"
1.5"
2"
Current Average Monthly Bill
$47.67
$53.12
$47.67
$96.72
Proposed Average Monthly Bill
$63.63
$93.84
$134.64
$265.77
Commercial
Meter Size
5/8" & 3/4"
1"
1.5"
2"
Current Average Monthly Bill
$45.49
$60.75
$121.79
$125.06
Proposed Average Monthly Bill
$60.78
$103.16
$225.22
$300.41
Crooked River Ranch Water Company is seeking the above increase in rates for a number of reasons. It has been 8 years since we last adjusted our rates. A lot has happened over the past 8 years, and we have seen a large increase in expenses.
Also, for the last 12 years, we have enjoyed the flexibility of having Avion always available to us anytime we needed them. This allowed us to operate the company with minimal field staff. This allowed us to make repairs quickly and keep water downtime to a minimum. Back in September, Avion notified us that they could no longer provide us with that service. They were getting too big and couldn’t pull their guys away at a moment’s notice. We needed to make changes in the company so that we could continue to make repairs quickly and have the staff available when we needed them. This required us to bring on 2 additional field staff and create a field supervisor position. Along with additional personnel, we added needed equipment to help with our day-to-day activities and respond to emergencies anytime, including nights and weekends.
Copies of CRRWater’s application, testimony, and exhibits are available by contacting our office at (541) 923-1041, emailing custserv@crrwater.com or click here. For additional information about the rate filing, you can contact us: ✉ rates2023@crrwater.com ☏ (541) 923-1041
To receive notices of the time and place of hearings on the matter, contact the PUC at (800) 522-2404; TTY 711, or mail a request to:
Public Utility Commission of Oregon
Administrative Hearings Division
PO Box 1088
Salem Or 97308-1088
The Calculations and statements contained in the water utility’s announcement and filling are not binding on the Commission.