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Council approves first reading of higher water rates and funds customer usage portal
Summary
La Marque — City staff presented and council approved a first reading Oct. 27 of an amended ordinance that raises base water charges, adjusts flat fees by meter size and establishes stepped consumption rates intended to promote conservation.
La Marque — City staff presented and council approved a first reading Oct. 27 of an amended ordinance that raises base water charges, adjusts flat fees by meter size and establishes stepped consumption rates intended to align customer charges with system costs.
Utility staff described the change as a shift toward industry-standard pricing that charges larger meter sizes a higher base fee because larger meters place greater fixed costs on the distribution system. “Best practice for water and sewer rates is to have your flat fee associated to your meter line size,” staff said.
The ordinance includes a senior discount structured as a per-1,000-gallon rebate ($1.50 per 1,000 gallons in each consumption tier), and staff said public information sessions are scheduled to explain bill impacts. Council members raised questions about how multifamily meters and senior residents in single-meter complexes will be treated; staff said seniors on individually metered accounts will be eligible for the discount and suggested further administrative work with rental registration to reach residents in single-meter multifamily properties.
Relatedly, council awarded a two-year, ARPA-funded contract to AquaTrax for a customer usage portal and notification system in the amount of $54,000. Staff said the portal will let customers track near-real-time usage (updated roughly twice daily), set usage thresholds and receive alerts for unusually high consumption — a tool staff said could reduce billed water loss by enabling customers to detect leaks promptly. “You can look at it and see what you're using the same hour… if a busted pipe or a toilet running, you can immediately get an alarm for that,” staff said.
Votes and next steps: The ordinance passed first reading; staff will hold public outreach sessions Thursday evening and Monday midday, post detailed rate tables and return for a second reading. The AquaTrax contract was approved using ARPA proceeds; council noted ongoing decisions about sustaining such services after initial funding.
Ending: Staff and council framed the two items as complementary: rates align customer charges with system costs while the customer portal gives residents tools to monitor consumption and avoid unexpectedly large bills.
