The El Campo City Council on Sept. 8 unanimously approved Ordinance 2025‑11, amending the city’s fee schedule to update charges across multiple departments, including ambulance fees, building permits, retail food permits, park rental and marking fees, solid‑waste charges tied to the city’s vendor contract, and several utility rates.

Council members and staff said the line‑by‑line increases respond to rising material and labor costs and to years in which some fees were not adjusted. The council approved the ordinance as presented but agreed to pull the specific food‑truck fee for separate consideration at a later date.

City staff presented a long list of changes covering Article A3 (EMS/ambulance fees), Article A4 (construction/building permits and plan review), Article A5 (health/retail food establishment permits), Article 8 (business‑related fees), Article 9 (parks and community facilities, including Civic Center fees), Article 10 (utility rates and charges — water, sewer and utility service rates and transportation user fees) and updates to solid waste fees tied to the city’s contract with Texas Disposal Systems. Staff said the packet lists the new fees and explained the layout of the revised appendix.

During discussion, council members asked detailed questions about several items. For sanitary sewer service, staff said the 4‑inch tap fee is proposed to increase from $780 to $2,000 and would cover up to 60 feet of run; staff explained the 60‑foot limit aligns with typical right‑of‑way widths and that additional footage or angled runs across a roadway could trigger extra costs, such as a separate street‑cut fee. Staff described typical tap depths as roughly 4 to 16 feet and said the higher fee reflects material, time and equipment costs that have risen since the fee last changed. (At the meeting, staff provided these technical details and answered follow‑up questions.)

Park and community‑facilities changes include raising a seasonal rental and marking fee that had been listed at $250 to $500; council members clarified in the meeting that a season for sports leagues is being treated as 12 weeks. Staff said the higher rate also reflects increased paint and maintenance costs. Retail food establishment permits for brick‑and‑mortar businesses were proposed to rise from $100 to $150; staff noted food trucks currently pay $150 for an annual permit and said the change aims to realign restaurant permit tiers with employee counts. Several council members argued that food trucks compete with brick‑and‑mortar restaurants and suggested the food‑truck fee should be reviewed, and the council asked staff to bring that item back rather than vote it into the ordinance at this time.

Council members also pressed on how ambulance billing interacts with Medicare and private pay. City staff explained that Medicare reimbursement rates are set by federal rules and that, as an example in the meeting, Medicare might reimburse only a portion of a commercial charge; the city would write off the remaining balance when Medicare is the payer, staff said.

Motion and next steps: Councilman Cobles moved to approve Ordinance 2025‑11 as presented; a council member seconded. The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance and directed staff to return the food‑truck fee as a separate item for future consideration and, if necessary, another public hearing.

Why it matters: The ordinance changes will affect residents and businesses that use city services — from permitting and park rentals to tapping into sewer mains — and will alter the price structure the city uses to recover costs. By removing the proposed change for food trucks for further review, the council signaled it wants additional information on equity between mobile vendors and brick‑and‑mortar restaurants.

What to expect next: Staff will bring the food‑truck fee back for council consideration at a later meeting; other amended fees take effect according to the ordinance schedule and any required public‑notice rules.