In a tied vote, the Broomfield City Council has declined to pursue a small reduction to a proposed 50% increase in water rates.

Staffers on Tuesday evening brought to the table a plan that could reduce the impending water rate increases by $5; but in a tie vote broken by Mayor Guyleen Castriotta, it was decided to maintain the original proposed rate hikes.

“I think we need to have more surety, and I really don’t think (the $5 reduction) would make a difference,” Castriotta said.

Ward 1 Councilmembers James Marsh-Holschen and Kenny Nguyen, Ward 2 Councilmembers Paloma Delgadillo and Austin Ward, and Ward 5 Councilmember Todd Cohen also voted against the change.

The increases would bring a resident’s estimated total monthly bill to $119.90 and would be split between water, sewer and stormwater services to chip away at the maintenance backlog and repair aging infrastructure.

The meeting also saw a presentation from AECOM, the infrastructure consulting firm working with Broomfield to address the issue of aging water, sewer and stormwater systems.

“One of the things a lot of agencies have struggled with is spending money on things that don’t give them that shiny new toy, that don’t give them that new thing they can look at,” Bridget Malinowski of AECOM said of the wider infrastructure problems in the country.

The backlog of maintenance and repairs is sitting at $23 million. The proposed increase will chip away at that backlog, and aim to prevent catastrophic failures. Staffers have previously stated that the risks of not maintaining the infrastructure include inadequate water supply and pressure for fire protection, and an increase in contamination events that could cause adverse public health outcomes.

The increase in fees, proposed to the City Council in a July study session, includes raised water and sewer charges and a new wastewater service charge, totaling to a $39.85 increase on the average resident’s bill. The 50% increase in charges will be followed by an additional 15% increase in 2026, and 7% increases in both 2027 and 2028.

The increase will come before the council again on Oct. 1 for first reading of the ordinance.

If passed on second reading, the increases rate hikes would go into effect for 2025.