The Glen Heights City Council received a first reading on Jan. 7 of an ordinance amendment that would change the city’s master fee schedule to define “resident” to include water and wastewater utility customers who live outside the city limits but whose utilities are served by Glen Heights.

Councilmember Cornell Benford, who introduced the item, said the change was prompted by parents who pay the city’s water bills while living outside city limits but whose children attend Glen Heights elementary schools. “Having a family and being able to use our facilities… should be included, due to the fact that they are paying their water bill to the city of Glen Heights,” Benford said. He told council the change would affect “about 512 addresses that we currently service.”

Why it matters: The amendment would expand eligibility for resident pricing on parks and recreation programming, potentially lowering user costs for households outside city boundaries that receive city water but do not pay city property taxes.

Several council members raised equity and fiscal questions. Councilmember Garrett asked whether nonresident users who pay taxes to other municipalities should receive resident rates when those municipalities do not contribute to maintenance of Glen Heights facilities. Councilmember Travis J. Bruton summarized the proposal as “if they are serviced by the city through water, that they pay the residential rate.”

No action was required at the meeting; the item was a first reading and will return for later consideration. The ordinance cited on the agenda was described as an amendment to Appendix A, section A.12.001 of the city’s master fee schedule to add a definition of resident for Parks and Recreation.