Branson Board approves 10% water and 9% sewer rate increases for 2026

In its October 14, 2025, meeting, the Branson Board of Aldermen (Board) had its first reading of an ordinance establishing new 2026 water and sewer rates for customers receiving water and sewer service from the City of Branson. For both residential and commercial customers, the 2026 water rates will increase by 10%, and the sewer rates by 9% over those of 2025.

On September 23, 2025, the Board began considering the water and sewer rates for 2026 for customers receiving service from the City of Branson. The initial rate proposal, which became Option 1 since that meeting, included a 20% increase in water rates and a 15% increase in sewer rates for both residential and commercial customers.

The Board also made, seconded and passed a motion, by voice vote, to postpone the topic until its October 14, 2025, meeting so that they could gather more information and receive a priority list of capital expenditures that would be affected if they changed the proposed rates, after two hours of discussion at that meeting. Between those two meetings, Utilities Director Kendall Powell consulted with the aldermen, city admin and Mayor Milton, the Board, and the city’s Finance Committee, held a joint meeting on October 6, 2025, and the Board held a study session on October 14, 2025, to discuss the proposed changes and critical infrastructure needs.

At the October 13 study session, attended by every alderman except Alderman Lucas, Kendall gave a history of the water and sewer rates in Branson, presented a prioritized list of capital expenditures and other projects, and presented an alternative, Option 2, to the originally proposed 20% water and 15% sewer rate increase lowering those rates to 10% and 9%, respectively, for both commercial and residential customers. As he has consistently pointed out, Kendall noted that the critical infrastructure needs will not go away.

Ralph LeBlanc, Alderman - Ward III - while acknowledging the realities of the current situation stated his belief that no one in the city “could hold a candle to the knowledge” and “operational skill” that Kendall has and that the original proposed rates did not ask for the “Taj Mahal,” but literally just “what it takes to provide clean water, and flushing toilets for the community.” He says, “Any time we defer these capital improvements, there’s a cost increase that’s incurred” by pushing them down the road, and in the “long game it’s going to cost more money at some point.”

Unless taken off the Consent Agenda for the October 28 Board meeting, the new rates will become final and take effect with the first billing period in January 2026.