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A little less than a year after its last rate increase was approved, Missouri American Water is asking for another.

According to Christie Barnhart, spokeswoman for Missouri American Water, the company has filed a rate request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to raise water rates in the Platte County district by 27.79 percent.

In December 2008, according to the Missouri Public Service Commission, the company was granted an increase in the district of 28.4 percent, and in October 2007, the company received an increase of 20.76 percent.

If the latest rate request is approved in full, it would mean an extra $15.36 per month or $184.32 per year on the water bill of an average customer using 8,000 gallons per month, according to Missouri American Water. The rate increase could also mean an increase of $13.01 per month for the 105 customers who use Missouri American Water’s wastewater system.

The rate increase, Barnhart said, is based on a number of capital improvements in the district undertaken or planned by Missouri American Water from Oct. 1, 2008, through April 30, 2010, at a cost of $2.2 million.

Those improvements, said Barnhart, include a 12-inch water main for the Thousand Oaks tank and a 16-inch water main on West Platte as well as upgrades at the Congress Road Booster pump site, well field and water treatment plant. Most of the improvements, Barnhart said, were due to regulatory requirements.

While the announcement for the rate request was made Oct. 30, it could take up to 11 months for it to be approved and finalized by the Missouri Public Service Commission.

In the meantime, Barnhart said Missouri American Water is working with Kathy Dusenbery, Platte County 1st District commissioner, to figure out a time and location to hold an open house to discuss the rate increase with customers.

Barnhart said the open house would likely happen by the end of the year or the beginning of next year. A decision on a time and location for the open house is expected in the next three weeks.

Parkville and Riverside have both been notified of the possible rate increase, and both cities said they are looking into the rate request.

Riverside Mayor Kathy Rose said Riverside is looking into what options it has in regards to the increase.

"This is the third rate increase in a row they have asked for, and it’s definitely impacting our residents," she said. "So, I feel we should see what alternative options there are out there for us. What it is, I can’t tell you, but we’ll be looking into all the options we have."

Parkville is also looking into the new request, Parkville City Administrator Shannon Thompson said.

"We definitely are looking into it, and we’ll stay on top of it," she said. "We’re looking into alternatives to protect residents from escalating costs."

PROPOSED RATE INCREASE

Missouri American Water has filed a rate request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to raise the water rate for consumers in Platte County by 27.79 percent. If approved in full, the rate increase would mean an extra $15.36 per month for the average consumer or an additional $184.32 per year. The increase is intended to pay for $2.2 million in infrastructure improvements in the county.

Staff writer Michael Westblade can be reached at 389-6636 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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