Broomfield Water Rates and Water License Fees, From 2023 - 2030

Compared to 2023, the Broomfield Council plans to increase the average residential water bill by 133% by 2028 and by 148% by 2030. The Broomfield Council is making it more expensive to live in Broomfield.

Last Updated October 8, 2025

Water infrastructure is the most important asset of any city, and Broomfield is no different. Based on the City and County of Broomfield’s July 16, 2024 Enterprise Funds Update presentation (see page 12) Broomfield has $3.4 billion in utility operations infrastructure to maintain. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year maintaining this critical infrastructure.

Broomfield’s water infrastructure is funded through an Enterprise Fund, which include four areas: Water Enterprise Fund, Sewer Enterprise Fund, Water Reclamation Fund, and Stormwater Fund (note - the Stormwater was introduced in 2025).

Broomfield's Enterprise Fund relies on two sources of funding: (1) water/sewer license/tap fees from developers, and (2) water, sewer, and storm drainage fees paid monthly in our water bills.

These funding sources should be well managed by the City and County of Broomfield. However, it is highly questionable that is actually happening (see graph).

(Source Data From City and County of Broomfield Budget Reports)

How Much is the Broomfield Council Increasing Your Water Bill?

Well, In 2023, the Broomfield Council and Broomfield City and County Leadership began a series of increases to Broomfield’s water rates which drive how much you pay each month in your water bill. The water rate increases in 2023 and 2024 were gradual. In 2025, however, the Broomfield Council imposed a drastic 50% increase to the base water rate, resulting in the average Broomfield residential water bill jumping to $119.90 - A 77% increase in your water bill compared to 2023.

And they are not done raising your water rates. The Broomfield Council and Broomfield City and County Leadership has indicated that more water rate increases are in our future - with no end in sight.

Based on the base water rate increase figures available in the City and County of Broomfield’s July 17, 2025 Quarterly Enterprise Funds Update presentation, Broomfield residents can expect their average water bill to increase to $146.83 by 2028 - a 133% increase compared to 2023.

By 2030 Broomfield residents should expect the average water bill to increase to $168.11 - a 148% increase compared to 2023.

See the graph for more information. Please note that the average water bill figures show are based on water rate increase figures SOURCED DIRECTLY from the City and County of Broomfield website, staff memos, and city council meeting materials (sources listed below).

Broomfield Council also drastically increased Water License Fees on developers. What did that do to the City’s Enterprise Funds?

About the same time that the Broomfield Council and Broomfield City and County Leadership started increasing your water rates, they also dramatically increased the Water Tap and Licensed Fees paid by developers to build homes, apartments, and other buildings in Broomfield. These are one time fees that would typically provide a large revenue source for the various water enterprise funds. From 2023 to 2025, Broomfield has increased the Water License, Sewer License, and Water Reclamation License Fees paid by developers by 33%, increasing the cost for a developer to build a home in Broomfield from $49,693 to $65,990.

The largest increase in the Water Tap and License Fees of 26% was passed by the Broomfield Council in October 2022. This license fee increase contributed to an 87.6% drop between budgeted and actual license fees in 2023 (see the graph). Instead of collecting $129 million in water license revenue as budgeted for 2023, Broomfield only took in $15.3 million.

For 2023 and 2024 the City County of Broomfield missed its enterprise water/sewer/building use license revenue budget by by $108,132,070 in 2023, and $40,650,142 in 2024

That is a total of $148.78 million that was not collected as revenue by the City and County of Broomfield in 2023 and 2024 alone!

(Sources: 2.20.24 Residential Development Update Memo, Broomfield Budget Reports)

How did the the City and County of Broomfield Explain this Huge Miss in Water License Fees?

In 2024, we ask that very question in our Questions to the City and County of Broomfield about the 2024 Budget (see question #8). Here’s what they said:

Question: “In the Annual 2024 Budget document, In Table 2C (page 59), the Original 2023 budget for Water Tap and License Fees is $86,966,393, yet the Revised 2023 budget for Water Tap and License Fees is $15,575,000, a difference of $71,391,393. Why is there such a big difference between the original and revised budget amounts?”

City and County of Broomfield Answer: “Water tap and license fees correspond to development in Broomfield. The variance reflects the changes observed in the development sector over the past 18 months. Both residential and commercial development have seen a slow down due to fluctuation in the economic markets. Additionally, licenses fees and their associated revenues that were anticipated in 2023, were actually purchased in December 2022 by developers to avoid the rate increases effective January 1, 2023.” (emphasis added).

To repeat just to make sure it’s clear - Developers chose to purchase the water licenses in 2022 before the increased rates went into effect in 2023. This effectively sunk a major revenue source for Broomfield’s Water Enterprise funds to the tune of $148 million in only two years time. And they are still trying to recover from the effects their bad policies.

The bottom line is that the Broomfield Council and City and County Leadership is raising your water bills by 133% by 2028 and 148% by 2030 to make up for their poor water license and water rate policies. And, by their own admission, there is no end in sight to the additional water rate increases.

Broomfield Deserves Better.