Fort Wayne Council Urges State Regulators to Reject Aqua Indiana Rate Increase

Fort Wayne City Council members are asking state regulators to stop a proposed rate increase by Aqua Indiana, arguing that its size and timing would hurt customers in the Aboite area.

Councilman Scott Myers posted a letter on Facebook on Wednesday that was signed by all nine council members and addressed to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). The letter raises concerns about both the timing and the magnitude of the request, and says the increase would have "extremely tangible negative impacts on Aboite residents."

Myers also said in his post that the IURC has agreed to hold a public hearing on the proposal in District 4, which he represents. A location and time for the hearing have not yet been announced.

The dispute began when Aqua Indiana asked the IURC to raise rates for about 14,000 customers across Allen, Huntington and Whitley counties by 32.6%. In September, the company filed a motion to push that request higher. The motion seeks an additional increase of about 8%, or $7.6 million, which would bring the total wastewater service rate increase to 40.7%.

In its filing, Aqua Indiana said its current rates are "insufficient to provide revenues adequate to cover its necessary and reasonable operating expenses and to provide Aqua Indiana an opportunity to earn a fair return on the Utility Property."

The city has pushed back before. Fort Wayne City Utilities filed its own request with the IURC in July to block the original increase. It said the company's proposal appeared to shift the cost of infrastructure improvements in other parts of Indiana onto local customers.

The IURC is scheduled to hear the case on December 7. Regulators have said they expect to issue a final decision on the request by spring 2027.