HomeMy WebLinkAbout4824 Ordinance - Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 Codifying of Water RightsOrdinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 1
Version 1.8.2026
ORDINANCE NO. 4824
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON,
AMENDING PASCO MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 3.35.160 WATER
UTILITY, ADJUSTING THE WATER RIGHTS ACQUISITION FEE; AND
SECTION 13.45.060 ASSIGNMENT OF WATER RIGHTS-EXTENSION OF
CITY WATER SERVICES BEYOND CITY LIMITS; PROVIDING
SEVERABILITY AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, water rate studies and fees of utility systems are generally conducted on
periodic intervals to ensure they provide adequate revenue for the utilities, and to ensure rates,
charges, and fees are, and continue to be, in conformance with State law; and
WHEREAS, it is increasingly more difficult for the City to acquire water rights at the
current market price as landowners recognize the increased market value of water rights and the
City's lack of sufficient funds collected from the current Water Rights Acquisition Fee; and
WHEREAS, City adopted Ordinance 4701A increasing the City Water Rights Acquisition
Fee as well as other significant changes to its Water Rights Program; and
WHEREAS, in June 2024, the City adopted Ordinance 4716 which removed the ten years
look back period for transfer of water rights from the property to apply surcharged in lieu fees
which had been previously adopted in Ordinance 4701A; and
WHEREAS, Council directed staff to grandfather in lieu fee to $1,750 per acre foot for
completed preliminary plat applications effective on or before November 27th, 2023 that was not
coded within City’s municipal code; and
WHEREAS, in February 2026 Council directed staff to codify the grandfathering of the
completed preliminary plat applications effective on or before November 27th 2023 and clarified
the grandfathering is applicable to in lieu fees only;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PASCO,
WASHINGTON DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. PMC Section 3.35.160 Water utility effective January 1, 2022 is
hereby replaced as of March 1, 2026 and shall read as follows:
Fee/Charge Reference
2026 2027 2028 2029
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 2
Version 1.8.2026
Inside city:
Consumption – per
100 cubic feet:
Residential/com
mercial
$1.35 $1.63 $1.97 $2.16 13.20.050
Bulk – per 1,000
gallons
$2.22 $2.68 $3.24 $3.55 13.20.080
Residential – single-
family base fees:
3/4 and 5/8
inch – per month
$31.48 $38.01 $45.90 $50.26 13.20.020
1 inch – per
month
$47.19 $56.98 $68.80 $75.34 13.20.020
Senior reduced/low income:
3/4 and 5/8
inch – per
month
$10.44 $12.61 $15.23 $16.68 3.65.150
1 inch – per
month
$15.77 $19.04 $22.99 $25.18 3.65.150
Commercial – base fees:
3/4 inch – per
month
$44.38 $53.58 $64.70 $70.85 13.20.030
1 inch – per
month
$64.88 $78.34 $94.60 $103.5
3
13.20.030
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 3
Version 1.8.2026
1-1/2 inch – per
month
$124.98 $150.9
1
$182.2
2
$199.5
3
13.20.030
2 inch – per
month
$200.42 $242.0
1
$292.2
2
$319.9
9
13.20.030
3 inch – per
month
$273.75 $330.5
6
$399.1
5
$437.0
7
13.20.030
4 inch – per
month
$394.44 $476.2
9
$575.1
2
$629.7
5
13.20.030
6 inch – per
month
$615.69 $743.4
5
$897.7
1
$983.0
0
13.20.030
8 inch – per
month
$853.22 $1,030.
26
$1,244.
04
$1,362.
23
13.20.030
10 inch – per
month
$1226.49 $1480.
99
$1,788.
30
$1958.
19
13.20.030
Fee/Charge Reference
Fire hydrants:
Meter rental:
Refundable deposit Not to exceed 110%
of Cost, as
determined by the
Director of Finance
13.20.080
Nonrefundable removal fee $30.00 13.20.080
Monthly base rental fee $62.00
Late payment and not returning
meter after 48 hrs. (per day)
$50.00
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 4
Version 1.8.2026
Hydrant rental – outside corporate limits,
per year
$20.00 13.20.070
Charges for water meters and services:
Meter and service costs equal to average
cost to City based on prior year
13.45.010
Move meter for owner Cost + 15% 13.30.060
Change meter size Cost + 15% 13.30.050
Water system capital expansion/replacement charges effective through December 31, 2026
Inside City limits:
3/4-inch meter $6,148 13.25.010
1-inch meter $10,267 13.25.010
1-1/2-inch meter $20,472 13.25.010
2-inch meter $32,767 13.25.010
3-inch meter $65,596 13.25.010
4-inch meter $100,392 13.25.010
6-inch meter $204,902 13.25.010
8-inch meter $327,856 13.25.010
10-inch meter $471,323 13.25.010
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 5
Version 1.8.2026
Outside City limits:
3/4 – 10-inch meter 90% surcharge 13.25.020
Front footage (per foot):
Residential:
In and out City limits $20.00 13.45.020
Commercial:
In and out City limits $25.00 13.45.020
Square Footage (per sq. ft.):
Residential:
In and out City limits $0.0388 13.45.020
Commercial:
In and out City limits $0.0426 13.45.020
Water system capital expansion/replacement charges effective January 1, 2027
Inside City limits:
3/4-inch meter $360.00 13.25.010
1-inch meter $601.00 13.25.010
1-1/2-inch meter $1,198 13.25.010
2-inch meter $1,918 13.25.010
3-inch meter $3,599 13.25.010
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 6
Version 1.8.2026
4-inch meter $5,999 13.25.010
6-inch meter $11,995 13.25.010
8-inch meter $19,192 13.25.010
10-inch meter $27,591 13.25.010
Water rights acquisition fee – per acre foot $4,150.00 13.45.060(2)
21.05.120(2)
Base water rights acquisition fee – per
residential unit ($4,150.00 per acre foot
x potable use factor .30) (Any
preliminary plats deemed complete by
the City as of November 23, 2023 shall
pay the water rights in lieu fees in effect
at the time of the City’s determination of
completeness.)
$1,245.00 13.15.030(1)
Potable water irrigation fee (no irrigation
water available)
Equal to 50% of the
area of the lot or
parcel to be served
expressed in acres or
portion of acres x
3.5 acre feet of water
x $4,150.00 (per
acre foot)
13.15.030(1)
Water rights transfer fee $1,000.00 13.15.030(5)
Section 2. That Section 3.45.060 entitled " Assignment or transfer of water rights –
Provision of City water services within and beyond City limits” of the Pasco Municipal Code shall
be and hereby is amended and shall read as follows:
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 7
Version 1.8.2026
13.45.060 Assignment or transfer of water rights – Provision of City water
services within and beyond City limits.
(1) As a condition for the provision of City water service within or beyond the City limits as a
primary source of City water for potable or irrigation uses within a residential subdivision or
other development, any property owner or developer of such property shall assign or transfer by
deed to the City any certificate, permit, or claim to a water rights for the withdrawal of ground or
surface waters, or such other water rights as may be appurtenant to such property, including
permit exempt well water rights in the quantity and manner set forth in PMC 13.15.030.
This The assignment and transfer for the amount of water rights for irrigation water specified in
PMC 13.15.030(1) shall not apply to properties which receive sufficient irrigation water services
provided under a perfected water right from Franklin County Irrigation District or other a non-
City-approved public or private irrigation water service provider acceptable to the City. Prior to
accepting such assignment or transfer, the City is entitled to evaluate the likely validity and
transferability of rights offered for transfer, and to receive technical assistance from the
Department of Ecology on same. The City may decline the acceptance of such assignment or
transfer if it believes, following such evaluation and/or technical assistance, that such rights are
unlikely to be successfully transferred for use by the City.
(2) In the event there are no water rights represented either by certificate, permit, claim, or other
right for withdrawal appurtenant to the real property benefited in subsection (1) of this section or
the quantity of water rights available to transfer are insufficient to serve the property, the
property owner or developer shall pay to the City, in lieu thereof, a water rights acquisition fee as
established in the City fee summary ordinance, Chapter 3.35 PMC.
Section 3. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or word of
this ordinance should be held to the invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction,
such invalidity or unconstitutionality thereof shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of any
other section, subsection, sentence, clause phrase or word of this ordinance.
Section 4. Corrections. Upon approval by the city attorney, the city clerk or the code
reviser are authorized to make necessary corrections to this ordinance, including scrivener’s errors
or clerical mistakes; reference to other local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations; or
numbering or referencing of ordinances or their sections and subsections.
Section 5. Effective Date. This ordinance shall take full force and effect five (5) days
after approval, passage and publication as required by law.
Ordinance – Amending PMC 3.35.160 and 13.45.060 - 8
Version 1.8.2026
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Pasco, Washington this 16th day of March,
2026.
Charles Grimm
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________ ___________________________
Krystle Shanks Ogden Murphy Wallace, PLLC
Deputy City Clerk City Attorney
Published: March 22, 2026