Crowley utility committee approves recommendation to raise sewer user fees amid DEQ compliance plan

The Crowley Utility Special Review Committee on Sept. 26 approved a recommendation to raise sewer user fees, proposing an in‑town base rate of $24 with $7.50 per 1,000 gallons over a 2,000‑gallon minimum and an out‑of‑town base rate of $30 with $10 per 1,000 gallons.

The committee recommended the change after staff calculations showed the utility fund needs targeted revenue of about $3.79 million — using a 1.15 "sustainability" factor — to cover operations, maintenance, equipment replacement and debt service. The committee tested 13 rate scenarios and recommended the sixth scenario, which staff said would generate roughly $3.82 million in revenue after adjustments for likely collection rates.

City attorney said the committee and the council have a mandatory duty under the city ordinance to review and adopt rates. "This is a mandatory duty of this committee and a mandatory duty of, the council to adopt an appropriate rate based on this study," the city attorney said.

Why it matters: city staff told the committee the recommendation is intended to keep the sewer system financially self‑sustaining and to improve the city’s ability to pursue grants and loans for a series of treatment‑plant and collection‑system projects required by a Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) compliance order. Those projects include plant upgrades, collection‑system repairs and reactor work to meet new discharge limits.

How the committee reached the recommendation

City staff combined prior‑year…