27% Utility Rate Hike In Great Falls Sparks Outrage

• Tuesday, June 3, 2025, The Great Falls City Commission voted in a rate increase for water and sewer users
• The commission had a choice of a 10% raise or a 27% raise in rates

Great Falls City Commissioners Vote In HUGE Utility Rate Increase

In my opinion, our commissioners have "chosen violence" as Cerci would say in Game of Thrones.

Instead of really considering the residents of Great Falls (you know, instead of just saying you are) the commission went for the hefty rate increase of 27%.

I know. It's not a typo. Our commission decided to just draw blood at first with a nearly 30% increase that starts in 3 1/2 WEEKS.

What In The Skyrocketing Utility Landscape Were They Thinking?

I'm actually totally down to pay a little more, in increments, to make Great Falls better. The city could have gone a number of different ways, and they chose the super hard way, or they chose violence, as Cerci would say.

KRTV quoted Commissioner Susan Wolf who said,

Come on. I mean, we just have to do this if we want to have a community that we're going to live in.

Ok, so you couldn't have done this in increments?

KRTV also quoted Commissioner Rick Tryon who said,

We have a responsibility to make sure the future of our community can be a place where our kids and our grandkids want to stay and want to live in.

Ok, so you couldn't have done this in increments?

Here's What This Rate Hike Looks Like For Your Budget

From Greatfallsmontana.net. (Right out of the mouths of the commission)

A "normal" increase of 10% would be

• Average water bill goes up around $2.32 a month
• Average sewer bill goes up around $2.89 a month
• Average storm drain bill goes up around .83 cents a month

This comes out to a monthly increase of about $6.04 a month or $72.48 a year for an average City of Great Falls customer. That's fairly easy to budget in, then the city could have incrementally gotten us up to what they needed.

"A capital improvement investments" increase of 27% our rates are now:

• Average water bill goes up around $4.89 a month
• Average sewer bill goes up around $7.67 a month
• Average storm drain bill goes up around $5.11 a month

This comes out to an increase of about $17.61 a month or $211.32 a year.

I'm Stunned Our Commission is So Out Of Touch They Didn't Think We'd Say Anything

Seriously, housing prices are through the dang roof whether you rent or own, Northwestern Energy just upped our bill to what is now an increase of over 50% from LAST YEAR, so now is the time to up our City of Great Falls bill by a third? Again, I'm totally in for paying more, INCREMENTALLY.

Will they blame this on the safety levy not passing, too? I'm surprised they're not trying to take it from the Great Falls Public Library.

Here Are The Commissioners, Including The Mayor, Up For Reelection This Year

Commissioner Joe McKinney and Great Falls Mayor, Cory Reeves.

I'm not saying these two specifically have to go. It's just our first chance to vote out people who keep challenging the actual will of the people who vote things in our out. Then they have the audacity to just ignore the poor in Great Falls, and there are a lot of them, and raise our rates by nearly a third.

Seriously, are you in for more social media lectures about the godly way to be in Great Falls then, watch them kick the poor and unhoused in the teeth? What would Jesus do? Not that, commissioners. Not that.

People could and probably will become homeless one way or another because of this.

Then, our commission will complain about our homeless population, without coming up with any solutions.

Some people are in a position that $20 a month can make or break them after 3-6 months. If you've ever had this life, you know what I mean. If you haven't, I love that for you but wake UP and have a smattering of empathy.

Remember, Montana's Public Service Commission needs to be taken out back and throttled as well. The way we can do that is VOTE THEM OUT.

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU unless you have money.

Sources: KRTV, City of Great Falls

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