On the Perry Park Water & Sanitation District's current schedule, a home on both water and sewer is billed $505.51 every two-month cycle before a single gallon is counted. That rate took effect July 15, 2026. Over a year that comes to about $3,033 in fixed charges. The first 10,000 gallons of actual use add only $28.10 to a cycle. For most households here, the bill behaves less like a utility you can shrink and more like a tax tied to the address. That changes how a buyer should weigh a Perry Park listing against a house down the road.

The Bill a Buyer Inherits

Here is the residential schedule as the district posts it. All charges are per bimonthly cycle.

Usage rates climb from there: $10.04, then $12.78, then $17.04 per 1,000 gallons once a cycle goes past 133,000 gallons. A water-only account has a base bill of $251.68.

Three lines on that table, the two capital improvement fees and the radium fee, add up to $268.14 per cycle. That is more than half of the base bill. The district's November 2026 Sentinel article says the newly implemented fees pay for the Waucondah wastewater improvements and the radium treatment upgrade. According to Denver7, at a March 18, 2026 hearing the board approved a 5% increase to water base and consumption rates, a 15% increase to the sewer base rate, and a new $45 sewer capital improvement fee. A newsletter had described that $45 fee as bimonthly. A July 15 vote corrected it to $45 a month, which is the $90 you see on each two-month bill, as the district's July and August 2026 update explains.

Households felt the change. One customer told Denver7 that her two-month bill was $303 in July 2025 and $486 in July 2026. She said only $25 of the 2026 bill was for water use, and she has no lawn. Because the cost sits in the base charges, conserving water barely moves it.

Why a Small District Carries Big-System Costs

The cause is the system's layout. The district dates to the late 1960s, and parts of its infrastructure are now more than 55 years old. Perry Park's terrain splits the district into east and west sides, and each side has its own drinking water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, wells and storage tanks. All of it serves about 1,600 water users and 1,300 wastewater users.

In that November 2026 Sentinel article, the district described the cost of capital projects this way:

"Capital improvement projects are very costly. Particularly since large project costs get divided across our small customer base."

The district's 2026 budget lists operating costs of $2,513,563. Spread across roughly 1,600 water users, that is about $1,570 per account per year to run the system, before any rebuilding. A larger utility can spread a new digester or treatment building over tens of thousands of meters. Perry Park spreads it over a number of households that would fit in a single suburban subdivision.

What the Construction Charges Are Paying For

Two projects account for most of the new fees. At the Waucondah Wastewater Treatment Facility on the west side, crews are building a new digester, a blower building and other improvements at a cost of $8.2 million. At the Sageport Drinking Water Treatment Plant, construction has started on a radium treatment system and building with a $1.7 million budget. The district awarded the Sageport contract to W.E. O'Neil Construction Co. and expects that work to finish by summer 2027.

If radium sounds alarming in a property search, the district's 2026 Consumer Confidence Report covers 2025 water quality data and states that all state and EPA limits were met. The district monitors radium every quarter.

The project fees are not meant to last forever. At the September 16 board meeting, a director said the Radium WTP Upgrade Fee will come off bills once all construction costs are paid. The same minutes note that the district still carries debt from an earlier Sageport upgrade, and that future Sageport work will require more debt. So a buyer can expect the $92 line to go away at some point, while capital costs for the system as a whole continue.

Billing itself is also changing. The district is replacing all 1,579 water meters with remote digital Zenner meters, and it plans to switch from bimonthly to monthly billing once the installation is finished sometime in 2027. For homes with indoor meters, the district's contractor, Flush Plumbing, schedules the replacement. Some owners have paid out of pocket when a plumber had to replace an inoperable water main or install a pressure reducing valve. When you look at an older home, ask whether its meter has already been replaced.

Outside Money Is Small Next to the Bill

The district is looking for outside funding. On September 28, 2026 it presented to the Douglas County commissioners and asked for part of the accrued interest on the county's 2022 American Rescue Plan Act funds. A $3 million federal request for future Sageport wastewater improvements is delayed until fiscal year 2027. Rep. Brandi Bradley of House District 39 has formed a working group with Perry Park, Louviers and Sedalia water districts and the Town of Larkspur, and the group expects a first "messaging bill" in the January 2027 legislative session.

Water leasing has also come up. In June, Castle Rock Water proposed leasing about 326 acre-feet a year of the district's surplus water for an estimated $189,432 over three years. That revenue would come before Water Court and measurement costs. That works out to roughly $63,000 a year, about 2.5% of the 2026 operating budget. According to the September 16 minutes in the district's October 21 board packet, a director called the lease "no longer a pressing opportunity for board consideration." The district does hold substantial water rights. Its October 14 town hall listed 345.2 acre-feet a year of senior ditch rights and 4,014 acre-feet a year of nontributary groundwater. Holding water rights does not pay for rebuilding treatment plants.

Two dates matter for anyone buying this winter. A 2027 budget discussion was on the board's November 10 agenda. And four of the five board seats are up for election in May 2027.

On a Vacant Lot, Location Decides the Connection Cost

For lot buyers, this is where the fixed-cost structure shows up most directly. The district's tap and development charges, effective February 1, 2026, are set per single-family equivalent and depend on where the lot sits:

A 1-inch water tap adds $7,500. The schedule also states that fees vary by lot and that buyers should confirm the exact figure with the district office. Two Perry Park Ranch lots with similar asking prices can carry connection costs more than $13,000 apart. Neither number appears on a listing.

These charges can also change. The district manager has said tap and development fees will be adjusted as capital projects are completed, because owners of new homes contribute to those upgrades through the fees. Before you close, get a dated quote for your specific lot. The district's April 2026 board packet records a director's reading of the district's rules that customers may not drill a well if the district has already established a service connection to their property. If a lot's water plan depends on a well, ask the district whether a service connection already exists for that parcel.

Questions for the District Before You Write an Offer

1. Is the property on water only, or on both water and sewer? The base bills are $251.68 and $505.51 per cycle.
2. For a vacant lot, which fee category applies to this parcel, and what is the exact tap and development charge as of today?
3. Has the Zenner meter already been installed? If the meter is indoors, does the plumbing need any work for the replacement?
4. What did the board decide on the 2027 budget, and are any rate changes scheduled?

Meetings are held at 5676 W. Red Rock Dr. and are also available on Zoom. The district has added 6 p.m. town-hall sessions alongside its regular 2 p.m. meetings on the third Wednesday of each month.

Short FAQ

Does using less water lower the bill much? Not much. The first 10,000 gallons in a cycle cost $2.81 per 1,000, so the $505.51 in fixed charges makes up most of a typical bill.

Will the radium fee be permanent? The board has said it will be removed once the radium project's construction costs are paid. The project is expected to finish by summer 2027.

Is the district billing monthly yet? Not yet. Monthly billing begins after the meter replacement is complete, which the district expects sometime in 2027.

The figures here come from the district's published schedules as of fall 2026. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, so confirm the charges for your own property with the district and the right professional.

If you're comparing homes or lots here and want help reading a tap schedule, a meter situation or a basin line against a specific parcel, Temaat Real Estate can go through it with you. Talk to Paul and schedule a local consultation.