Utility Charges

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As the escalation of major cost factors continues to increase, the cost to provide service has increased too. Cost hikes in fuel prices, equipment, and maintenance expenses have all led to the need for the 2024 rate increase.

Average Olathe Resident Monthly Utility Bill

Service	2023	2024	Change	% Change
Water*	$33.40	$35.37	$1.97	5.8%
Sewer^	$52.61	$55.68	$3.07	5.8%
Stormwater	$6.07	$6.25	$0.18	3.0%
Solid Waste	$20.03	$20.63	$0.60	3.0%
Total	$112.11	$117.93	$5.82	5.2%

*Based on average residential usage of 588 CF/4,399 gal.
^Based on average residential usage of 542 CF/4,054 gal.

Please refer to the Water section below for more information on the City's block rate structure, which was adopted in 2023.

Water

Water usage charges are designed to recover the variable costs of operating a potable water system based upon how much water a customer uses.

Water Service Charges are designed to recover fixed costs incurred by the City for operating a potable water system, without regard to quantity of customer use.

The Kansas Water Plan cost is a pass-through fee from the State of Kansas; the state charges for every 1,000 gallons of water used. This fee defrays costs for the state water office and the reservoirs that office maintains.

The City adopted a new block rate structure for water bills starting in 2023. Families using water for basic needs should experience minimal changes, if any. The structure involves more significant changes for those with large irrigation needs. Fore more information, read the Water Utility Block Rate Structure news release.

2024 Goals for Water Services

Continue to protect public health and the environment by producing drinking water that meets all regulatory requirements.
Stay in the top 10% of the highest performers in the nation on drinking water treatment measurements from the ETC survey.
Maintain National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference Certificate that allows our Environmental Lab to perform our compliance testing.
Develop long range plan for drinking water lime residuals disposal.
Increase redundancy and reliability through project implementation and asset management.

Olathe Water Rate Fee Comparison

Service Provider	Average Monthly Cost
Water District No. 1 of Johnson County	$33.24
City of Olathe	$35.37
Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU)	$38.68
City of Lawrence	$40.97
City of Gardner	$41.27
City of Kansas City, Missouri	$45.97

Based on average residential usage of 588 CF/4,399 gal.

Sewer

Sewer usage charges are designed to recover the variable costs for collecting and treating sanitary sewage.

Sewer service charges are designed to recover fixed costs of operating a sanitary sewer system, without regard to quantity of customer use.

2024 Goals for Sewer Services

Continue to protect public health and the environment by producing wastewater that meets all regulatory requirements.
Stay in the top 10% of the highest performers in the nation on wastewater treatment measurements from the ETC survey.
Develop a sustainable biosolids reuse program to protect the City from continued rising costs for the landfill disposal.
Increasing redundancy and reliability through project implementation and asset management.

Olathe Sewer Rate Fee Comparison

Service Provider	Average Monthly Cost
Johnson County Wastewater	$48.17
City of Gardner	$51.40
City of Olathe	$55.68
City of Lawrence	$56.94
City of Kansas City, Missouri	$85.70

Based on average residential usage of 542 CF/4,054 gal.

Stormwater

Stormwater fees are designed to recover the fixed costs of designing, building, and maintaining a stormwater system. Services include:

Remove debris, chemicals, and yard waste with street sweeping
Management of stormwater
Flood control and mitigation
Water quality protection
Maintain infrastructure assets
Lake and dam restoration
Public education and outreach

2024 Goals for Stormwater

Complete the Mill Creek, Prairie to Cedar, Phase 1 Stormwater Improvements Project which will reduce flooding risks for 19 structures in the FEMA floodplain in downtown Olathe.
Participate in the creation of an Environmental Report Card that includes stormwater permit compliance activities.
Increase residential erosion and sediment control inspections by utilizing Olathe Building Inspection staff, Stormwater staff, and Engineering interns.
Participate in Watershed Organization planning activities to prioritize funding for streambank stabilization projects.
Utilize the Stormwater Maintenance crews to complete one stream bank stabilization project annually.
Other goals - sweep 8,000 lane miles, replace 10 stormwater inlets, repair 4,500 feet of stormwater pipe, replace 1,500 feet of stormwater pipe, CCTV inspect 45,000 feet of stormwater pipe, and inspect 57 miles of streamway.

Olathe Stormwater Residential Service Charge Comparison

Service Provider	Average Monthly Cost
City of Shawnee	$6.00
City of Olathe	$6.25
Board of Public Utilities	$6.30
City of Overland Park*	$7.34
City of Lawrence	$7.38
City of Prairie Village	$8.02
City of Lenexa	$9.08

Based on one equivalent residential unit.
*Estimation based on unique funding formula.

Solid Waste

Sanitation Charges are designed to recover fixed costs for residential trash services including:

Pickup and disposal of trash
Pickup of recyclable materials
Pickup and composting of yard waste materials
Management of Household Hazardous Waste
Management of Electronic Waste

2024 Goals for Solid Waste Services

Exceed national recycling and diversion average of 35% while maintaining low contamination rates.
Continue overall quality of service rating above 90% on quarterly ETC surveys for residential trash, curbside recycling, and yard waste collection services.
Develop strategies to continuously address source reduction through educational platforms and Solid Waste programs.
Continued evaluation of the Transfer Station expansion and needs assessment. The goal of this project is to invest in innovative materials and techniques to build and extend the life of Infrastructure.
Provide an integrated solid waste management system with exceptional customer service that is both economically and environmentally responsible and meets the needs of our citizens.

Olathe Solid Waste Residential Service Charge Comparison

Service Provider	Average Monthly Cost
City of Olathe	$20.63
City of Lawrence (Recycling)	$22.72
City of Topeka (Recycling)	$25.50
City of De Soto (No Recycling)	$28.00
City of Overland Park (Recycling) - Year 1*	$30.66^
City of Overland Park (Recycling) - Year 2*	$34.00^
City of Gardner (Recycling)	$35.75
City of Shawnee	$35.79

*10 bag/bundle limits for yard waste
^Estimate based on surcharges

The City of Olathe allocates utility charges based upon accounting principles developed by the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

Accounting for the water, sewer, solid waste and stormwater funds is published in the City of Olathe Budget through Enterprise Funds supported by user fees similar to a private business enterprise. Enterprise funds fully recover their cost through customer fees.

View the Schedule of Fees for details regarding utility bill charges.