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Water commission backs staff recommendation to deny Udyne LLC rate increase, approves public hearing
Summary
The Water and Wastewater Commission unanimously voted to support Austin Water staff's recommendation to deny Udyne LLC's proposed water and wastewater rate increase for customers served within Austin city limits at Greenshores, and authorized moving forward with a public meeting and consideration of an ordinance.
The Water and Wastewater Commission unanimously voted April 16 to support Austin Water staff's recommendation to deny proposed water and wastewater rate increases submitted by Udyne LLC and to conduct a public meeting and consider an ordinance on the matter.
The vote came during discussion of agenda item 6, which the commission chair described as "approve or recommend approval to conduct a public meeting and consider an ordinance regarding Udyne LLC's proposal to increase water and wastewater rates." Joseph Gonzalez, Assistant Director of Financial Services with Austin Water, told commissioners that a "yes" vote would mean supporting staff's recommendation to deny the increases for customers within Austin city limits served by Greenshores. Gonzalez said, "A yes vote in my understanding would be to support staff's recommendation to deny the rate increases for Udyne for customers within Austin city limits served by Greenshores."
Commissioner Reyes made the motion to approve the staff recommendation and proceed with the public meeting/ordinance consideration; Commissioner Pangarengi seconded. The commission recorded the approval as unanimous.
Why it matters: The commission serves as an advisory body to Austin Water and to the city council on rate and policy matters. A decision to deny a privately proposed rate increase can affect service-area customers and sets the course for any formal ordinance consideration and public hearing process.
Details and next steps: The commission approved proceeding with a public meeting and consideration of an ordinance; the transcript records the commission action as supporting staff's recommendation to deny the requested increases for the subset of customers noted (Greenshores inside Austin city limits). Austin Water staff will carry forward the public meeting process and any subsequent formal ordinance or recommendation packets to the council as required.
No additional legal authorities or ordinance numbers were specified during the discussion. The motion and vote were recorded during the April 16 meeting; staff indicated the action represents the commission's agreement with the recommendation presented.
The commission did not record changes to the staff recommendation during the meeting; no amendments were introduced.
