Hotly debated water fluoride, car tab fees and sewer rates set for Pasco votes
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council to vote on transportation benefit district, car tab fee vs sales tax
- Public survey of 2,000+ residents showed majority preference to retain fluoride
- Water and sewer rates and connection fees likely to rise to fund a $220–$260M plant.
The Pasco City Council is expected to make decisions on three hot topics at its meeting Monday.
The council will decide how it’s going to ask residents to pay for new road work, as well as whether it will keep fluoride in its water and raise sewer and utility rates.
The decisions come after months of feedback from residents, experts and advocacy groups on two of the topics. A survey with more than 2,000 results indicated a majority of residents want to keep fluoride.
There is an opportunity for public comment at the beginning of Monday’s session. Speakers are limited to three minutes.
Car tab or sales tax?
The council is considering creating a transportation benefit district that would pay for citywide street improvements through either a car tab fee or a sales tax increase.
It first discussed the options at an Aug. 25 council workshop. The council didn’t vote, but most opposed the idea of raising sales taxes, favoring a car tab fee.
There will be a public hearing at the meeting Monday to consider establishing a transportation benefit district and get community feedback. The city is required to host at least one public hearing.
The next step would be to create the district and vote on pursuing either the fee or tax increase.
Washington state anti-tax activist Tim Eyman visited the city council at its Sept. 15 meeting to speak out against the tax increase and car tab fee.
Eyman, who lives in the Seattle area, previously said he jumped on the issue across the state because he is opposed to state and city governments increasing car tab fees and taxes without voter approval.
Fluoride in city water
The council also is expected to make a decision on removing or keeping fluoride in the city’s drinking water.
It’s been a hotly debated topic. Local public health officials, dentists and healthcare workers have criticized the idea of removing fluoride since the council first discussed it in June.
Between June 30 and Oct. 1, Pasco invited people to respond to an official survey and share their feedback on whether the city should continue adding fluoride to its public water supply.
Of the 2,000 people who responded, more than half, or about 52%, opposed the removal of fluoride and about 49% supported getting rid of it. Nearly all the respondents said they live in Pasco.
In the Tri-Cities, only Pasco fluoridates its water.
Kennewick and Richland water has too little naturally occurring fluoride to detect, and the cities do not add it.
In Pasco, fluoride is added to water at the Butterfield Water Treatment Plant and West Pasco Water Treatment Plant through a process called fluoridation. Last year, the two plants treated more than 5 billion gallons of water, or about 15 million gallons per day. The recommended level of fluoride is 0.7 milligrams per liter in drinking water throughout the United States, a standard set by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Pasco’s water quality report last year stated that the city took hundreds of water samples last year and fluoride measured an average of 0.64 parts per million or milligrams per liter of water. Fluoride in water ranged from 0.38-0.88 milligrams per liter throughout the year.
Sewer, utility rate increases
Pasco’s water and sewer utility rates and connection fees may increase beginning in January.
Combined monthly water and sewer bills for a typical single-family home are expected to increase by approximately $9-$11 in 2026, $11-$13 in 2027, $9-$13 in 2028 and $9 in 2029.
Connection fees are one-time charges for new development and expanded water connections.
These fees been historically low and unpredictable in Pasco. The new fee structure bases fees on meter size rather than lot size. The estimated maximum connection fees for a single-family home with a 3/4-inch meter are about $6,150 for water and $4,600 for sewer.
A major driver for the increased fees is the replacement of the aging Butterfield Water Treatment Plant. The project is expected to cost between $220-$260 million.
