Funding for in-town infrastructure

The City of Rawlins is taking critical steps to improve our water infrastructure and ensure reliable services for residents and businesses. Following the water rate increase in the summer of 2024, the Water Enterprise Fund has been able to allocate $2 million toward in-town projects.

The allocated $2 million will be directed toward:

• Water Line Replacements: Upgrading outdated and deteriorating lines to reduce leaks and ensure consistent flow.

• Compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule: Prioritizing safety through work that brings our systems into strict federal compliance and mitigates health risks associated with aging infrastructure.

Why are these investments necessary?

Our water and sewer services operate as enterprise funds, meaning they must be self-sustaining through fees rather than being supported by taxes or the General Fund. This ensures transparency and independence, but it also means that fees need to cover all necessary infrastructure updates, equipment, and staffing.

Without adequate funding:

• Service quality diminishes.

• Maintenance of aging infrastructure becomes increasingly difficult.

• The risk of service disruptions and regulatory non-compliance grows.

  
  

To tackle these challenges, the City of Rawlins must secure loans to fund large-scale infrastructure projects. However, we can only obtain these loans if we demonstrate our ability to repay the debt—hence the approved water and sewer rate increases.