Developing Community Advisory Panels to engage the public on water rates

Hillsboro, Oregon, was established in 1876 and will be celebrating its 150^th anniversary next year. For its first 100 years, it was primarily an agricultural town, attracting many migrant workers who eventually settled in the area.

The arrival of intel in the 1970’s transformed the area into a “silicon forest.” This shift brought higher-paying jobs as well as a diverse range of people and cultures. The dual history of the city has created socioeconomic disparities, which the city must account for – particularly when setting water rates.

“Our rates, instead of increasing by like 2%, we’re up about 10%,” said Tacy Steele, programs manager for the City of Hillsboro, during a presentation at the American Water Works Association’s (AWWAs) 2025 Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE).

Hillsboro has historically had low water rates, but increasing demand has led the city to develop a second water source – a multi-billion-dollar project. Due to this, rates have increased approximately 10% annually for the past decade.

Fueled by the pandemic’s impact, a 2022 rate hearing saw significant public unrest. People in the hearing were voicing concerns over the increased rates and even demonstrated with signs. According to Hillsboro, misinformation began spreading from an external organization. The organization brought in people, some Spanish-speaking, bussed in from other communities. The organization told the people false information, such as claiming high irrigation rates were being applied to farmers, which Hillsboro doesn’t serve.

Hillsboro responded almost immediately. It had Spanish-speaking representatives onsite that allowed the utility to engage directly with the people at the meeting. The city then developed a plan to engage the community on water rates. It set the expectation early on that rates weren’t going to be lowered due to developing a second water source.

“This time we really wanted to make sure we were engaging with that community in a way they wanted to be engaged,” said Steele.

Hillsboro has a history of community engagement, but this was the first time it was applied to water rate setting. The city aimed for a higher level of public participation, utilizing the IAP2 spectrum. The goal was to collaborate rather than just inform.

Baseline satisfaction surveys were conducted, with an emphasis on offering and promoting Spanish-language options. A key initiative for the city was setting up a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) to directly involve customers in reviewing rate structures and provide recommendations.

The CAP sought representation across multiple categories including:

• Rate structure: Multi-family, single-family, high/low water users
• Geographic: Representation from all service areas
• Demographic: Racial representation and occupational diversity that matched the consensus

The CAP had to overcome challenges. The city offered $500 stipends to promote attendance ($100 per meeting). Transit passes, translation services, free dinner and childcare were all offered as well as Zoom options.

Interviews were set up to assess individual commitment and address concerns, including accessibility issues.

The final makeup of the CAP included 12 members that successfully mirrored Hillsboro’s diverse community. The first two meetings focused on educating participants on the background of Hillsboro’s water system and its rate structures. A total of five meetings were held for the participants, who provided positive feedback throughout the meetings.

The CAP provided recommendations that were incorporated into the rate study and ultimately adopted by the utility commission.