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Leon Valley council approves two-year water and sewer rate increase plan to fund $1M annual infrastructure work
Summary
City council voted 3-2 to begin a multiyear rate plan that aims to fund a five-year capital improvement program requiring about $500,000 a year each for water and sewer. Council directed staff to return after two years to reassess.
Leon Valley city council on Tuesday approved the start of a multi-year increase to water and sewer rates aimed at funding an estimated $1 million per year in capital improvements to the system.
Consulting engineer James Helcher of Ardura told the council the city’s water and sewer capital improvement plan could require “an additional $500,000 per year” for both water and sewer — “so and a million dollars total annually.” He presented a multi-year option that would raise volumetric (usage) charges steeply while increasing the base fee modestly.
The proposal shown to council would shift usage billing and base fees gradually so the city reaches the CIP funding goal over several years. Helcher said the approach keeps year‑one bills close to current levels and ramps revenue up over time: “raising the usage billing charges 66.6% per year for 4 years and raising your base rates 2% per year would help us reach that revenue goal,” he said. Under the plan an average residential customer using about 5,000 gallons per month would see a small first‑year increase (about $3) and could pay roughly $20 more per month by year five if the full schedule is adopted.
City manager Dr. Caldera and Public Works Director Melinda Mortz described frequent, aging pipe failures and televised sewer lines with “very big issues,” saying that the system has been sustained with patchwork repairs and that the proposed increases are intended to pay for prioritized projects, borrowing or grant matches and to avoid emergency failures.
Councilman Campos moved the measure, asking the council to adopt rate increases now but return after two years for review. “I’ll make the motion that we do start the increase in our water and sewer rates, but with the caveat to come back and then revisit after year 2,” Campos said. Councilman Martinez seconded the motion.
A roll‑call vote returned three ayes and two nays: Councilman Martinez, Councilman Campos and Councilman Orozco voted yes; Councilman Heil and Councilman Bridal voted no. The motion passed, and Mayor announced it carried 3–2. Council directed staff to prepare an implementing ordinance for the next meeting.
Why it matters: Leon Valley’s water and sewer mains are decades old, and staff and outside engineers told the council the system requires sustained capital investment to reduce leaks, failures and sewer line defects. Council members and staff stressed that the increases are intended to avoid large emergency costs and to keep the system functional while the city pursues grants and other funding.
What’s next: Staff will prepare ordinance language reflecting the adopted rate approach for a future meeting and return with a report at the two‑year review point requested in the motion.
