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El Paso Water presents Q1 drainage-fee report; board seeks short-term forecast
Summary
El Paso Water Real Estate Manager Jonathan Pershall reported a $4.47 million quarter-end cash balance in the drainage utility fund and agreed to provide a near-term revenue forecast to the Open Space Advisory Board.
El Paso Water Real Estate Manager Jonathan Pershall told the Open Space Advisory Board that the drainage-utility fund ended the quarter with $4,472,085 in cash after allocations and expenses.
The presentation outlined the fund’s starting balance, a 10% allocation transfer and quarterly expenses. Pershall said the quarter began with a $3,391,277 balance, included an allocation of $1,000,070 from the 10% fund and recorded total expenses of $36,124, yielding the reported quarter-end total.
Board members pressed staff for more detail about timing of disbursements and whether obligations—such as an annual Northeast land payment—were paid quarterly or annually. Pershall said the identified land payment is made annually and that, “I can definitely look into that, and possibly present that to you all at the next quarterly report presentation.”
A board member expressed concern about earlier city-council comments that had been interpreted as signaling a possible end to El Paso Water land purchases and asked whether the water utility still planned to acquire property under the dual-use stormwater/outdoor recreation policy. Pershall said he had not heard of any change to the program and confirmed, “We still have an identified property that we’re looking to acquire. So, we’re still moving forward as of right now.” He added he would request and pass along any additional information the board wanted.
The board asked Pershall to prepare a short forecast showing likely fund balances under a reasonable revenue assumption (for example, a 4% rate scenario) and to circulate that forecast to staff members Raul or Kevin before the next quarterly update so the board could use it for near-term planning.
The presentation and follow-up questions focused on cash flow timing and the board’s need for a forward-looking projection to evaluate whether the drainage fund will support both stormwater obligations and the water-utility land-purchase program.
Board members did not take formal action on the report but directed staff to supply the requested forecast and supporting details ahead of the next quarterly meeting.
