The sewer line on next year's city utility bill now has a hearing date. On October 29 the city published notice that the City Council will hold a public hearing on November 9 on an ordinance amending Appendix A of the City Code, which sets the water and wastewater service rates in Chapter 11. The notice doesn't list dollar amounts. The full ordinance text is posted with the city's public notices and is also available at the Finance Department.
The numbers come from Public Works. On October 19 it proposed 2027 increases of 3% for water, 9% for wastewater, 4% for stormwater and 4% for solid waste. Staff said the wastewater increase is needed mainly for the North Central Sanitary Sewer Project. They also said a city sewer availability charge, which the council approved in 2025 to help pay for that kind of capacity, hasn't brought in as much money as expected yet.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNPublic Works presents the proposed 2027 utility rates and explains why wastewater is the outlier.10/19
This is a big project. The new sewer starts in the Penn American area and runs east on American Boulevard, south along the Irving Avenue corridor, under I-35W, down Fremont Avenue and east on West 92nd Street. It connects to the Metropolitan Council's interceptor line just east of Syndicate Avenue. The goal is more sewer capacity for the Penn American District as new housing and mixed-use buildings keep adding demand. Most of the pipe is going in with trenchless methods, which the city calls the most cost-effective and least disruptive option. The city says sanitary sewer utility funds pay for the sewer and the related street repairs, with no special assessments for this project. That's why the cost shows up in sewer rates instead of property taxes.
The project has been coming before the council for about a year. In November 2025, staff said Fremont Avenue was the proposed route for most of the sewer and suggested having the North Central contractor take on nearby street work too.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNStaff name Fremont Avenue as the main sewer route and explain how adjacent street work could be bundled into the same contract.11/17
In December 2025, staff said the city was asking the state to help pay for the work, which they described as upsizing sewer capacity near I-494 and 35W to handle denser land use. The request paid off: in May the city received $4 million in state bonding.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNStaff describe the state funding request and why the sewer needs more capacity.12/15
The pipe also affects private building plans. In June, Councilmember D'Alessandro asked how the sewer project would affect one developer's timeline, which shows how much new Penn American projects depend on it. The city says construction began in April 2026 and runs into fall 2027.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNA councilmember asks how the North Central sewer project affects a developer's timeline.06/01
For now these are still proposals. The council has heard the rates at a study meeting but hasn't voted. The November 9 hearing starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Civic Plaza, 1800 West Old Shakopee Road, and you can also join electronically. That hearing is the formal point where the council takes comment before it sets 2027 water and wastewater rates.
There are a few ways to weigh in. You can speak in person. You can call 1-415-655-0001 during the meeting and press *3. Or you can send testimony ahead of time by voicemail at 952-563-4695 or by email to councilsecretary@bloomingtonmn.gov by 2 p.m. on November 9. For questions about the rates, contact Chief Financial Officer Lori Economy-Scholler at 952-563-8790 or finance@BloomingtonMN.gov.
From the meeting: City Council Study Meeting, October 19, 2026.
