Making the Case for Affordability: Tools for Fiscal Health & Keeping Rates Affordable

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Overview & Objectives: Ensuring water, wastewater, and stormwater services are affordable for all customers is essential to protecting public health and addressing environmental justice concerns. Utilities and municipalities are well aware of the importance of keeping rates affordable. Still, operationalizing affordability programs can be challenging. The good news is that there are tools to help water managers navigate these challenges and make the case for affordability while maintaining fiscal health. WaterNow Alliance, in partnership with Natural Resources Defense Council, will host a 1-hour webinar for municipal, utility, and community leaders nationwide to explore the Water Affordability Business Case Tool and environmentally-sustainable strategies for keeping rates affordable.

The webinar has 4 objectives—

1. Showcase the functionality and use cases of the Water Affordability Business Case Tool for developing bill discount programs, as well as the affordability benefits of distributed water use efficiency, reuse, and green infrastructure solutions.
2. Feature Greater Cincinnati Water Works as a case study utility already putting the Business Case Tool into practice.
3. Orient participants to the excel-based tool and how to pair bill discount programs with multiple benefit water infrastructure investments to maximize affordability.
4. Answer questions about the Water Affordability Business Case Tool and affordable, environmentally-sustainable infrastructure investments.

Panelists: The webinar will include 4 speakers and a moderator. Speakers are —

1. Larry Levine, Natural Resource Defense Council
2. Roger Colton, Fisher Sheehan & Colton
3. Tony Searls, Greater Cincinnati Water Works
4. Amy Weinfurter, WaterNow Alliance
5. Hilary Chen, WaterNow Alliance (moderator)