Crockett council approves consumption-based water and sewer rate increases to cover infrastructure debt

The Crockett City Council voted to approve an ordinance increasing consumption-based water and sewer rates to help pay the city’s share of a multi-million-dollar water and sewer infrastructure project, city staff said.

City staff told council the change does not increase base service rates but raises consumption charges so that users who use more water pay more of the cost. Staff said the change was intended to produce roughly $328,000 in additional revenue the adopted budget assumed would be collected by raising utility rates rather than by increasing property taxes.

Staff member: “There’s no base rate increase on water or sewer, but there is a consumption rate increase. That basically means that the people that will be paying for the increase are the ones that use the water and the sewer,” the presenter said during the council meeting. The staff presentation included examples for an “average user” and said households that use very little water — “less than…