Staff propose shifting fire‑protection costs into utility structure; council asks for relief options for small churches

Alex Whiteway, Director of Water Utilities, told the City Council on Feb. 25 that a consultant study recommends assessing fire‑protection fees tied to fire‑line size to more equitably distribute the cost of larger mains and treatment capacity.

Whiteway said the change would shift some infrastructure costs away from residential rate increases and spread them across commercial and other customers with larger fire‑line needs. "So when we have a fire line that's going into a commercial business or a residence...there's a lot of cost that goes into it," he said, describing pipe‑size and treatment costs that underlie the proposal.

Why it matters: staff said distributing costs would have avoided a larger across‑the‑board residential rate increase this year and that comparable municipalities such as Irving and Fort Worth use similar fees, though Arlington's proposed fees would be somewhat higher in some line sizes.

Council concerns and staff response

- Small churches and nonprofits: Councilmembers raised concerns that flat per‑line fees could strain small religious congregations and nonprofits that operate on limited budgets. Several councilmembers said they have received constituent complaints from churches that face unexpectedly high bills under the proposed fee schedule. - Staff follow-up: Whiteway said utility staff would review individual church and nonprofit situations, examine whether line sizes can be reduced where physical infrastructure does not require a larger pipe and coordinate with the fire department to assess whether existing on‑site systems are sized for future, unused growth. He said the department would explore options to reduce burdens on churches and other nonprofit entities and that fee relief or adjustments could be considered.

Financial context

Whiteway said the fee approach was intended to limit residential rate increases; he estimated the alternative would have been an 8–8.5% increase rather than the 5% increase enacted this year if the cost had been borne entirely by residents.

Next steps

Staff will continue outreach with affected customers, perform field reviews where appropriate and return with refined proposals that could include adjustments or exceptions for churches and registered nonprofits.

Ending: Council asked staff to return with options for targeted relief or phased implementation that would reduce disproportionate burdens on small community organizations.