By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City Manager Shawna Burkhart gave a presentation and fielded questions Monday about
the city’s new water and wastewater rates, which will go into effect on Oct. 1.
Only a handful of Del Rio residents attended the second of two town hall meetings on the
new rates. The meeting was held in the city’s newly-renovated transportation center at
100 W. Ogden St. downtown. Several members of the Del Rio City Council, including
Mayor Al Arreola, Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. and Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez,
and members of the city’s utility billing and communications and marketing department
were also present.
Burkhart welcomed those attending and started her presentation by giving water- and
money-saving tips. She advised homeowners to check their toilets, especially those not
used on a regular basis, for leaks, and she also suggested they have a separate meter
installed for yard irrigation systems.
The city manager said city utility customers can contact the city for help and further
advice about both those suggestions.
Burkhart then went over a presentation previously made to city council, titled “Water and
Wastewater Rate Study.” The presentation was provided as a handout to those who
attended the meeting.
The city manager said this year the city will incur $33 million in new debt for water
projects.
“That’s a lot of money. What does that cover? That covers the new water well, that
covers the East Springs wall repair. . . and then we have approximately $18 million of
debt just to replace the water filtration system at the water (treatment) plant,” Burkhart
said.
Burkhart said the city this year will also incur $29.3 million in new debt for wastewater
projects.
She said the new debt will pay for the first phase of a major new sewer line that will
serve the city’s north side and its burgeoning developments.
Burkhart said the existing line is at 100 percent capacity. She said the new, much larger
line will allow for future development on the city’s north side.
“It’s a good thing, but it costs a fortune to pay for it,” Burkhart said.
She said the new debt the city will incur for the water and wastewater projects will be
financed by the Texas Water Development Board, and “they want to know that you have
enough revenue coming in to pay your debt.”
Burkhart said the state wants to see a five-year progressive increase in water and
wastewater rates, enough to be able to service the debt the city will incur.
Burkhart reviewed the city’s water rates, which she said are based on two parts, the base
rate, which is the cost of getting the water to the customer: pumping it, treating it and
distributing it. Then, she said, there is the volumetric rate, which is based on the amount
of water that is used by the customer.
After answering several questions from attendees, Burkhart went over a slide titled
“Residential Bill Impacts,” which shows how the new rates will impact the average Del
Rio household.
Burkhart asked Vivianna Rosalez, the city’s utility billing supervisor, how many gallons
of water the average city water customer uses every month, and Rosalez replied the
average Del Rio customer consumes about 8,000 gallons of water every month.
Burkhart next went over how Del Rio’s new water and wastewater rates compare to those
charged in Texas cities of similar population, and she said the new rates are near or below
those of cities in Del Rio’s peer group.
Burkhart rounded out her presentation with a handout, also provided to all those who
attended the meeting, showing all of the water and wastewater rates that had been
adopted by the Del Rio City Council.
In closing, Burkhart again urged those attending the meeting to check their toilets for
leaks and recommended installing a separate meter for irrigation systems.
“If there are any concerns about spikes in your water usage, please come by City Hall and
visit with us,” Burkhart said.
The city manager then fielded a variety of questions from those who attended the
meeting, beginning with that of a woman who wondered aloud why her sewer bill was
the same every month.
Burkhart turned the question over to Ana Mercado, the city’s assistant utility billing
supervisor, who said the city currently calculates customers’ sewer bills on the amount
used in December, January and February, a practice known as “winter averaging.”
Burkhart added that under the new rate structure, the city will go from “winter averaging”
to actual monthly usage. She added customers can ask to see their consumption history,
so they can compare current usage with usage in prior years.
A man attending the meeting asked if money raised from the new rates would be used for
upgrading infrastructure, and Burkhart said the city has several years’ worth of loans
from the Texas Water Development Board to engineer the replacement of distribution
lines throughout the city.
“Now we have to actually start construction,” she said.
Another attendee asked if the city had completed the installation of automated meters for
all customers, and Burkhart replied that it has not, but that the project should be
completed over the next two fiscal years.
Burkhart also recognized the mayor and two council members who attended and asked if
they had any questions.
Gutierrez asked about lead line replacements, and Burkhart said the city learned last
month that it had been funded through the Texas Water Development Board’s lead pipe
replacement program. She added the city is currently studying which areas of the city
have lead pipes.
Gutierrez also asked if a citizens advisory committee for utility billing issues was being
planned, and Burkhart said she knew of no plans for such a committee.
Arreola asked no questions, and Lopez asked a further question about how the city
calculates sewer rates, and Burkhart reiterated the city will be moving from winter
averaging to actual usage.
The final citizen to comment, Ronda Hargrove, shared her opinion that the city should
stop adding fluoride to its water.
The Austin Water District offered the following tips, in Spanish and English, to help people with water conservation.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
