Council adopts water and wastewater rate increase effective Oct. 1 to cover projected debt and rebuild reserves

The Jersey Village City Council adopted an ordinance to increase water and wastewater rates effective Oct. 1, 2025. City staff said the rate changes are intended to cover debt service associated with the proposed bond program and to help rebuild utility fund reserves.

Staff presented sample impacts to help residents understand the change: under the ordinance staff showed illustrative increases of about $19.73 for a residential bill that uses 3,000 gallons and about $29.87 for 6,000 gallons (these figures were presented in the staff summary to illustrate the impact of the adopted multi-year rate schedule). Staff said future fiscal-year increases are assumed at 3% annually to cover CPI and the city's higher surface-water costs from wholesale providers.

Why it matters: the rate changes affect monthly utility bills for residents and commercial customers and are tied in staff analyses to the city's plan to finance capital improvements, including projects proposed in the Nov. 4 bond election.

Implementation and next steps: staff will update billing systems to reflect the Oct. 1 effective date, publish sample-bill examples and customer communications, and monitor usage impacts.

Ending: Council approved the ordinance as presented; staff plans to publish bill examples and customer notices ahead of the effective date.