Despite widespread cost increases as inflation and supply issues ding the larger economy, utility rates for Cullman County water customers are among the few recurring charges that won’t see any changes in the year to come.

For the first time in the past 12 years, county and city leaders have struck a pricing agreement that won’t raise the cost of treated water that the county buys at wholesale from the City of Cullman. With a service base of more than 20,000 customers, the department is the largest water utility in Cullman County.

Commission chairman Jeff Clemons said a rate study conducted by a third party yielded a suggested cost increase of 4.5 percent. But, he added, keeping water prices level, especially during turbulent economic times, has been a shared priority for both county and city leaders. For some local farmers — and particularly poultry growers — water charges eclipse even electricity as their greatest monthly utilities cost, he noted.

“We’ve been working with mayor [Woody] Jacobs from day one to try to find a way to save people money on water rates,” said Clemons. “Water is a big part of what our farmers have to plan for when they account for their costs, and it’s truly a blessing that we’re going to be able keep those costs low this year.”

As with most water utilities, the Cullman County Water Department prorates its residential and light commercial pricing structure in a way that progressively discounts the cost of water as a customer uses more of it. Currently, the department charges a base fee of $27.51 per month for the first 2,000 gallons of water consumed by a residential or light commercial customer, with the next 3,000 gallons costing an additional $11.57.

The department also sells to larger commercial and industrial customers under two separate, scale-based pricing structures that charge a flat fee per 1,000 gallons used. The Commercial I category, which includes the Tyson-owned poultry rendering plant in southern Cullman County, charges $8.49 per every thousand gallons; while the Commercial II category, which serves large industries like NAFCO and Topre, charges a flat $7.61 per thousand.

Even as the county buys its water wholesale from the City of Cullman, it also resells a portion of it to other local water systems. The county currently charges a flat rate of $4.83 per thousand gallons to its wholesale customers.

Commission chairman Clemons credited his associate county commission colleagues, as well as county water department staff and Jacobs, for maintaining early and open communication to stave off a cost increase.

“I don’t think anyone would have seen [unchanged water rates] coming this year, with inflation as high as it is right now and basic costs going up all around,” he said. “We think that right now is especially the ideal time for water to stay low [in price], because the cost of just about everything else is hitting people everywhere you look.

“I’m grateful that Woody and I have such a good relationship, and I’m especially grateful for [county water department manager] Randall Waldrop and our commissioners and administrative staff. They anticipated all of this months ahead of time, and they stayed on top on it the whole way. We’re trying to look out for taxpayers and our residents at every opportunity, and we’re glad that we’ve been able to work together to take advantage of this one.”