Infrastructure improvements spark planned Moorhead utility rate hikes

MOORHEAD — Water and electric rates in Moorhead are expected to rise as Moorhead Public Service plans various infrastructure improvements in the coming years. During a Moorhead Public Service Commission meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 20, utility leaders discussed a plan to raise water rates by a net 5.25% and electricity rates by a net 2.5% in 2027. The public utility provides water and electricity for Moorhead. Over the next five years, Moorhead Public Service plans to make $100.6 million in electric capital improvements and $30.2 million in water capital improvements, according to General Manager Travis Schmidt. Of the total $100 million for the electric infrastructure, around $72 million is earmarked for substation and generation projects, Schmidt said. Some of that is going to help with capacity improvement needs, along with replacing a roughly 50-year-old substation that needs some upgrades done to it as well, Schmidt said. Water projects range from water main