By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members on Tuesday approved major water and wastewater rate increases
for customers of the city’s water and sewer systems.
The five council members present at the meeting voted unanimously to approve two
ordinances, one increasing the city’s wastewater rates and the second increasing water
rates.
The new rates will go into effect Oct. 1, with additional rate increases scheduled every
year for the next four years.
The council voted the raise the rates following the presentation and acceptance of a new
water and wastewater rate study.
During that presentation, council members learned the average Del Rio residential
customer’s water bill will go up by 21.8 percent, with the average residential sewer bill
slated to rise by 68 percent in the first year of the proposed increases.
Residential water customers’ monthly minimum bill, currently set at $11.20, will go up to
$12.25, and customers will also be billed for the amount of water used.
All residential water users who use 10,000 gallons of water a month or less now pay 3.49
per 1,000 gallons. Under the new rate schedule, Tier 1 users who consume between 0 and
3,000 gallons of water a month will pay $3.80 per 1,000 gallons; Tier 2 users who
consume between 3,000 and 10,000 gallons will pay $4.80 per month per 1,000 gallons,
and Tier 3 users who consume above 10,000 gallons a month will be billed at a rate of $6
per 1,000 gallons.
Non-residential customers will be charged $6 per 1,000 gallons of water used, and
Laughlin Air Force Base will be charged $5 per 1,000 gallons of water used.
Rates for water customers outside the city limits will be 15 percent greater than the rates
charged city customers.
The monthly minimum bill for wastewater will go from $11.06 to $13 in the first year of
the increases, with additional rates per 1,000 gallons of water used.
Residential customers using between 0 and 3,000 gallons will be charged $4.45 per 1,000
gallons, and residential customers using 3,000 gallons and above will go from being
charged $4.19 per 1,000 gallons to $4.45 per 1,000 gallons.
Non-residential customers using between 0 and 3,000 gallons will be charged $6.70 per
1,000 gallons under the new rate structure, and non-residential customers using more than
3,000 gallons a month will go from being charged $6.21 per 1,000 gallons to $6.70 per
1,000 gallons.
The council unanimously accepted the rate study, then took up the ordinances setting the
rate increases.
After City Secretary Mari Acosta read the heading of the ordinance dealing with
wastewater rates, Mayor Al Arreola called for a motion.
The council chambers fell silent for several long seconds before Arreola said, “This is a
done deal, man.”
Sanchez commented, “Nobody wants to do it, but we are going to have a debt of $62
million that we are going to have to cover, so we’re going to have to raise rates to cover
this $62 million, and we need to do it today, because if not, our bond rating is going to
lower, and it’s going to be worse for the city of Del Rio, and the loans we’ve already
been approved (for) will not be given to us, so we will not be able to get the loans we
need for the $62 million. The city council is between a rock and a hard place. Nobody
wants to do it, but here goes.”
“I make a motion to approve this ordinance for the wastewater rates,” he added.
Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus gave the second.
Arreola then recognized City Manager Shawna Burkhart, who said she had a comment.
Burkhart said, “Please note that this reflects the Silverlake Wastewater line being fully
funded, at some point, once we find a funding source. This would incorporate the full
extent of the Silverlake sewer line being upsized, from the plant all the way to the north
side of town.
“It is approximately 100 percent full. At times, when we have heavy rains . . . We have to
do something, or else we’re going to, unfortunately, encounter fines by TCEQ (Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality), if we overflow those mains,” the city manager
added.
After some additional commentary, Arreola called for the vote, and the council
unanimously approved the motion.
Acosta then read the heading of the water rate ordinance, and Arreola called for a motion.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez made the motion to approve the ordinance, and
DeReus gave the second.
Gutierrez said she had a question for Burkhart regarding water pressure issues on the
city’s north side.
As Public Works Director Greg Velazquez began answering the question, Arreola
stopped him and said the issue before the council was the water rate ordinance.
“My attorney (City Attorney Ana Markowski Smith) told me I kind of have to stall that
question,” the mayor said.
Burkhart said water pressure issues would be addressed at another meeting.
Arreola called for the vote, and all of the council members present voted in favor of the
motion.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
