Water bills are creeping up again in Excelsior Springs, where the city council approved a new rate increase that took effect this month, pushing the typical monthly bill above $168 — among the priciest in the Northland. For a household using about 5,000 gallons a month, the change works out to a couple more dollars on the bill, adding up to roughly $34 more over the course of a year.
The size of the increase depends on who you ask. As reported by KSHB 41 Kansas City, the city council voted to increase bills by around 5% starting in November. The Excelsior Citizen, however, reported the council unanimously approved a 4.81% water rate increase at its Oct. 19 meeting, effective Nov. 1. Either way, the practical impact on a typical bill lands in the same narrow range: about $2.80 more per month, or $33.60 a year, for a household using 5,000 gallons monthly.
Under the new rates, the monthly base charge inside city limits rose from $17.74 to $18.59, and the cost per 1,000 gallons climbed from $8.19 to $8.58, per the same outlet's report. Sewer rates were not touched at the October meeting, the article notes. With water, sewer and standard trash collection included, the estimated combined monthly bill in Excelsior Springs now comes to $168.62, before other applicable charges.
Why the City Says Rates Keep Climbing
Public Works Director Chad Birdsong told KSHB 41 Kansas City that Excelsior Springs isn't immune to the same pressures hitting household budgets. “The city has the same expenses and increases from personnel, insurances, utility rates as the people and the public do,” he said. Birdsong added that the increases happen yearly, and that keeping them small and regular is easier on ratepayers than facing a bigger jump all at once.
The pattern reflects deeper infrastructure needs. The Excelsior Citizen reported that the city issued roughly $35 million in financing back in December 2010 for water-debt refinancing, water-main rehabilitation, a new wastewater treatment plant and sewer-system upgrades. Despite that investment, Birdsong estimated that the completed work has reached only about 7% to 8% of the city's overall water and sewer pipe networks, according to the same report.
How Excelsior Springs Stacks Up Against Its Neighbors
Regionally, KSHB's comparison put Smithville's monthly bill as the highest in the area at about $173, with Excelsior Springs right behind at about $169 — roughly $21 more a month than Richmond's bill. The Excelsior Citizen's more detailed estimate found Smithville's bill running $4.74 higher than Excelsior Springs' $168.62 figure, while Wood Heights came in $9.31 lower. Kearney and Richmond were estimated at roughly $14.64 and $21.03 lower than Excelsior Springs, respectively, the outlet reported.
Other nearby communities fall somewhere in between: Liberty's monthly water and sewer bill sits at $158.12 and Kearney's at $153.98, according to the seed reporting reviewed for this story. An April 2026 rate study in Smithville had recommended water and sewer increases for fiscal 2027, though those were only recommendations and not approved rates at the time of the study, the Excelsior Citizen noted. Kearney, meanwhile, is weighing a wastewater treatment plant expansion preliminarily estimated at about $55 million, with completion tentatively targeted around 2030.
Residents Feel It at the Pump More Than the Faucet
Not every Excelsior Springs resident is losing sleep over the water bill specifically. Chuck Duckworth, who lives in the city, said he feels rising costs more in groceries than in water, and pointed especially to what he pays at the gas pump amid broader inflation. Still, Duckworth said he's looking at other ways to save money as expenses pile up across the board.
For households that are struggling, Birdsong pointed to the Good Samaritan Center as a resource, saying its program provides annual financial help to people who cannot pay or are struggling with bills. The Good Samaritan Center says it assists families and individuals in Excelsior Springs and surrounding rural communities with food, shelter, utilities, transportation help, and household and medical needs.
A Bigger Trend Beyond the Northland
Excelsior Springs' modest yearly bumps are playing out against a steeper national backdrop. A report cited by KSHB 41 Kansas City found Americans are paying more than 60% more for drinking water than they did a decade ago, with the average water system charging a typical household $531 for drinking water service in 2025. That same report found water bills have increased 19% faster than median household income and were unaffordable in 93% of the water systems analyzed — a reminder that even small local hikes land on top of a national squeeze that's been building for years.
