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Cedar Park approves its portion of Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority FY2026 operating budget
Summary
The City Council approved Cedar Park’s portion of the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority FY2026 operating budget; the city’s operating share is projected to fall about 11 percent to $781,000 while overall BCRUA costs rise.
The Cedar Park City Council approved a resolution to accept the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget for the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA), a joint utility formed by Cedar Park, Leander and Round Rock.
Bridal Solis of the finance department said the BCRUA operating budget covers plant operations, maintenance and debt service needed to serve the partner cities at build‑out. She told council the BCRUA board approved the operating budget on June 25 and that Cedar Park’s share of operating costs is expected to decrease by about 11 percent to roughly $781,000, driven primarily by a projected decline in the city’s water usage for FY2026. The presentation noted overall BCRUA operating costs are increasing—largely because of higher projected power, chemical, personnel and maintenance expenses—and that debt service as a whole is rising because of an expected debt issuance by Leander; Cedar Park’s debt service portion was reported as $6.3 million and was described as steady relative to its last issuance.
Solis said Cedar Park does not currently anticipate issuing new debt for BCRUA. Council members asked about the relative allocations across partner cities and staff explained the city’s earlier investments left Cedar Park with available capacity relative to its partners’ projected needs.
A motion to approve Cedar Park’s action on the FY2026 BCRUA operating budget passed unanimously with five council members voting in favor and two members absent. Staff said Cedar Park’s approved portion will be incorporated into the city’s utility fund budget and presented as part of the city’s FY2026 operating budget process.
Council members praised the finance and BCRUA teams for long‑range planning of maintenance and contract strategies intended to mitigate projected cost increases.
