STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2253
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
cations
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring the
public service commission to develop a formula for the calculation of
a residential water cost index; requiring each water-works corporation
and municipal water system serving one thousand customers or more to
calculate and submit to the public service commission its residential
water cost index; and requiring the public service commission to
publish a report on the residential water cost index of each applica-
ble water-works corporation and municipal water system
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section
2 89-k to read as follows:
3 § 89-k. Residential water cost index. 1. For the purposes of this
4 section, "residential water cost index" means the annual cost of water
5 for an average single family household served by a water-works corpo-
6 ration or municipal water system. The water cost index shall be calcu-
7 lated using uniform factors developed by the commission including, but
8 not limited to, usage, fees, applicable taxes, meter size and seasonal
9 rate structures.
10 2. Within six months of the effective date of this section, the
11 commission shall develop a formula for the calculation of a residential
12 water cost index. Such formula shall include the uniform factors to be
13 used by any water-works corporation or municipal water system in calcu-
14 lating its water cost index. The commission shall publish such formula
15 on its website, and shall provide such formula to each water-works
16 corporation and municipal water system serving one thousand customers or
17 more. The commission may, from time to time, update such formula.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04926-01-5
S. 2253 2
1 3. Annually, each water-works corporation and municipal water system
2 serving one thousand customers or more shall calculate and submit to the
3 commission its residential water cost index. The water cost index shall
4 be submitted to the commission within sixty days succeeding the close of
5 its fiscal year. Municipal water systems may submit its water cost index
6 as part of their annual report as provided for in section eighty-nine-l
7 of this article.
8 4. Annually, by December thirty-first, the commission shall publish a
9 report on the residential water cost index of each applicable water-
10 works corporation and municipal water system of the preceding calendar
11 year. The report shall provide a statistical analysis of the data and a
12 comparison of residential water cost indexes throughout the state,
13 including, but not limited to, comparisons based on regions, type of
14 provider, and size.
15 5. A copy of the report shall be posted on the commission's website
16 and the commission shall notify the temporary president of the senate,
17 the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate energy and telecom-
18 munications committee, and the chair of the assembly corporations,
19 authorities and commissions committee of its posting and any updates
20 made thereto.
21 § 2. Section 89-l of the public service law is amended by adding a new
22 subdivision 3 to read as follows:
23 3. Each municipal water system serving one thousand customers or more
24 shall calculate and submit a residential water cost index to the public
25 service commission pursuant to section eighty-nine-k of this article.
26 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
