As staff facilitators of the Water Equity Network, we listened to our members—and we’re taking action. At the end of 2023, we began reimagining the Water Equity Network’s offerings and engagement opportunities based on feedback from our members. A clear theme emerged: members desired to make real, local progress on water equity with support and guidance from Water Equity Network staff. In response, we asked: What water equity topics are of top importance for you and your communities? Three priorities stood out: affordability, workforce, and partnerships. To drive these critical issues, we launched three Water Equity Network Action Taskforces focused on these topics, beginning with the Affordability Taskforce.
Water Affordability Taskforce Summary
The Affordability Taskforce launched in September 2024 with four community teams, each made up of utility and community leaders from the following Water Equity Network cities: Bloomington, Minnesota; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Columbus, Ohio, and Saint Paul, Minnesota. In November 2024, a fifth team from Portland, Oregon, joined the effort. Over the past seven months, these teams have participated in a series of workshops and peer exchanges aimed at strengthening relationships and deepening their understanding of key water affordability issues. Through these sessions, participants engaged with leading experts on the following key topics:
- Understanding community needs, fostering community engagement, and improving customer service
- Enhancing operational and financial efficiency within water utilities
- Restructuring water rates and addressing customer debt
After each workshop, community teams completed corresponding topical assessments to understand their local needs and opportunities. Then they shared their findings during peer exchange sessions, fostering shared learning and collaboration. Through this process, utility and community leaders collaborated in teams to assess water affordability challenges in their communities, teams gained insight into the key factors to consider before developing solutions to unaffordable water bills, community leaders learned about the scale of investment needed to design, build, and maintain water systems, and utility leaders learned to better communicate with community members—gaining clarity on preferred communication methods and messages that resonate most.
Taskforce Reflections and What’s Next
Trevelyn Johnson, Program Manager at IMPACT Community Action in Columbus, Ohio, shared how participating in the Taskforce has deepened his understanding and strengthened partnerships:
“It’s allowed me to forge strong relationships with [the utility] and other community agencies, and it has provided me with a deeper understanding of how rates are determined, which helps me educate myself and the community. Being able to do that has prevented a lot of misinformation and increased [community] understanding of public water utilities.”
Holly Ruble, Water Operations Specialist at the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reflected on how the Taskforce helped bridge gaps between assumptions and real community needs:
“I learned what our community is actually looking for instead of just assuming. We’re now working on better educating our ratepayers about costs and breaking down the water bill.”
As this series of workshops and peer exchanges concludes, community teams are preparing to share their plans with the rest of the Taskforce, outlining what local actions they’ll take over the next 14 months (and beyond) to address unaffordable water bills locally.
So, we celebrate! We honor the dedication and thoughtfulness each team has brought to the process and their commitment to listening, learning, and building a shared foundation before acting. We look ahead with excitement and confidence knowing that the actions taken will be rooted in collaboration between utility and community leaders.
In the words of Abby Pope, One Water Coordinator at the City of Columbus, Ohio:
“There’s strength in numbers! Everyone on the team brings unique perspectives to the table and we realized that decisions can’t be made in silos.”
