Take two houses at the same price, one in Medford and one in Ashland. The electric meter decides which one pays more each month for police, fire, parks and storm drains.
Both cities pay for some of these services through the monthly utility bill, but they collect the money in different ways. Medford charges a flat fee per house. Ashland charges smaller flat fees and then raises much of its general city money through a 25% tax on electricity. A small, efficient home in Ashland pays less toward city services than the same home would in Medford. A large, all-electric home in Ashland in a cold month can pay more. The listing price tells you nothing about which kind of house you're looking at.
Medford Bills Every House the Same
As of July 1, 2026, Medford's monthly utility rate for single-family homes went from $76.53 to $85.91, according to the City of Medford's 2026 rate breakdown. Customers first saw the new rate on their August 2026 bills.
Not counting sewer, four flat charges make up that bill:
- Public Safety: $22.23, up $3.08 this year
- Storm Drain: $9.63
- Parks: $8.31, up $1.48
- Street Maintenance: $6.69
Together they come to $46.86 a month. A two-bedroom bungalow pays that amount, and so does a 3,500-square-foot house in east Medford. Electricity is billed separately by Pacific Power, and the city takes no share of it. Medford's public safety charge on its own is larger than any single flat fee on an Ashland bill.
Ashland's Flat Charges Are Smaller
Ashland's fee schedule effective July 1, 2026, lists a Parks and Recreation Fee of $5.15 and a Public Safety Support Fee of $5.15. The single-family storm drain fee went to $6.43 a month on August 1, 2026. The wildfire risk reduction fee started at $7 per ¾-inch meter in July 2025 and rises with inflation each year, capped at 5%.
| Monthly flat charge, single-family | Medford, from July 1, 2026 | Ashland, FY2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Public safety | $22.23 | $5.15 |
| Parks | $8.31 | $5.15 |
| Storm drain | $9.63 | $6.43 |
| Street maintenance | $6.69 | Not part of this comparison |
| Wildfire risk reduction | None | About $7, indexed to inflation |
| Total of the lines shown | $46.86 | About $24 |
Sewer is close between the two cities. Ashland's average wastewater charge went up $3 to $36.94 on August 1, 2026, according to Ashland.news, and Medford's sewer line is $39.05. The big difference is in the flat fees, and Ashland's are about half of Medford's.
Ashland's Missing Half Is in the Electric Bill
Ashland runs its own electric utility, and the city has taxed residential electricity at 25% since April 1976. That was before Measures 5 and 50 limited property taxes in the 1990s. In a City Corner column on Ashland.news, Councilor Bob Kaplan wrote that the tax, along with the food and beverage tax, lets Ashland fund a wider range of public services through its General Fund.
That puts part of the cost of city services on the electric meter, so it grows with usage. Kaplan's December 2025 update listed Ashland's tiers at 7.57 cents per kWh for the first 500 kWh, then 9.11 cents up to 5,000 kWh, with a $16.25 monthly meter fee. Applying those late-2025 rates, here is how the tax portion and Ashland's flat fees add up next to Medford's fixed $46.86:
| Monthly use | Ashland 25% electric tax | Ashland tax plus about $24 in flat fees | Medford flat fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | About $13.53 | About $37 | $46.86 |
| 1,000 kWh | About $24.91 | About $49 | $46.86 |
| 2,000 kWh | About $47.69 | About $71 | $46.86 |
The 500 and 1,000 kWh figures come from totals Kaplan published, $67.63 and $124.56 including tax. The 2,000 kWh row applies the same published tiers. The two cities come out about even near 1,000 kWh a month. Below that, Ashland asks less of the household for city services. Above it, Ashland asks more, and that gap grows with every additional kilowatt-hour.
The street maintenance and storm drain lines aren't exact matches between the two cities, so read these as rough break-even figures, not a full bill. The pattern holds either way. In Medford, city services cost the same no matter the house. In Ashland, that cost depends on the house's square footage, how it's heated and how well it's insulated.
Even With the Tax, Ashland Electricity Costs Less
The tax looks smaller once you compare the whole electric bill. In Kaplan's December 2025 comparison, 1,000 kWh cost $124.56 in Ashland including the tax and $162.22 on Pacific Power. He called that 23% less. Pacific Power charged 14.23 cents per kWh from the first kilowatt-hour, with a $17.33 meter fee. Ashland buys most of its power wholesale from the Bonneville Power Administration, and the City Council approved a 16-year BPA contract that begins in 2028.
That gives a buyer two separate questions. For the total electric bill, Ashland costs less at every usage level in that comparison. For city-service charges, a high-use house in Ashland passes Medford's flat amount. A large all-electric home in Ashland can have a lower power bill than it would under Pacific Power and still send more money to City Hall than its Medford equivalent.
Ashland's Charges Are Still Changing
Medford's charges went up this year, but its method stayed the same. Ashland's mix has shifted several times in the past year:
- Electric. On March 3, 2026, the council approved residential increases of 3.83% a year for three years. The first one took the average 750-kWh rate from $76.88 to $79.88, and the third year reaches $85.21, Ashland.news reported. Those figures don't include the 25% tax, which applies on top of the new rates.
- Water. The city's June 2025 water-rate packet laid out a 13.5% net-revenue increase over two fiscal years, partly to repay the new treatment plant's federal WIFIA loan.
- Wastewater and storm. The council approved both increases 4-2 in July. According to Ashland.news, the wastewater study listed $18.8 million in capital needs through 2031, including a $6.4 million headworks replacement.
- Parks. On October 21, Mayor Tonya Graham broke two 3-3 ties to remove the parks fee's July 1, 2027 sunset. The $5.15 fee is now permanent and rises with inflation each year, Ashland.news reported. Councilor Derek Sherrell said at the meeting, "I think we're also gonna have to raise this fee eventually." Councilor Kaplan said Ashland's fee is lower than in every other jurisdiction in the valley except Central Point. According to the same report, the fee brings in about $750,000 a year, roughly 10% of the parks budget.
On Tuesday, November 3, Ashland voters decide Measure 15-243. According to the Jackson County Elections measure filing, the charter amendment would require voter approval for new or increased utility-bill fees or taxes that aren't related to utility operations. It lists exceptions for state and federal charges, franchise fees, increases needed to meet state minimums, fees tied to utility operations, and inflation increases up to CPI-West. The measure doesn't create a fee or a tax itself. Whatever the outcome, it affects how future non-utility charges on an Ashland bill get set.
Bringing the Meter Into a Purchase
A seller's past bills are the best evidence of how a house uses electricity, and they're easy to request during due diligence. For an Ashland home, a few details on those bills matter:
- Winter kWh, not the annual average. The tax is a percentage, so the cost comes from high-use months.
- The billing period. Bills from before July 2026 show last year's electric rates and the old parks and storm amounts.
- The heating source. In the late-2025 comparison above, a gas-heated house and an all-electric house at the same price ended up on opposite sides of the 1,000 kWh break-even.
For a Medford home, that history matters for the Pacific Power bill only. The city's share is $46.86 for any single-family house.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rates and fees change by resolution and ballot, so confirm current charges with each city and talk to the right professional about your own situation.
FAQ
Does Ashland's 25% electric tax make power there more expensive than Pacific Power? Not in the published comparison. At 1,000 kWh in December 2025, Ashland's bill was $124.56 including the tax and Pacific Power's was $162.22, according to Councilor Kaplan's column.
Is there help with Ashland utility costs? Ashland offers a year-round 30% discount on electricity, water and sewer for households earning less than 200% of the federal poverty line, up to $400 a year. Households in the program get a free efficiency audit.
Will the parks fee stay at $5.15? No. The council made it permanent with annual inflation adjustments.
If you're deciding between an Ashland house and a Medford house, we'll put the seller's utility history next to each city's current fees so you can see your real monthly cost before you make an offer. Blue Mountain Group can help you read those numbers. Schedule your free consultation.
