Georgetown utility plans $72 million revenue bond to finish plant work; council approves related contracts

Residents pressed the City Council on recurring water problems and unexplained spikes in bills before utility officials described a financing plan to finish wastewater treatment work and fund other capital needs.

Bill Abernathy, a resident who moved to Georgetown about a year and a half ago, told the council he has seen recurring episodes when the water developed a “significant odor and taste” and that the utility’s explanations have varied: “When I called the water department, they blamed it on all the rain in the spring,” he said. Abernathy asked the council to require a public accounting of overcharges and create a transparent appeals process for customers who receive unusually high bills. Dan Holman, another resident, said efforts to obtain reports via an open-records request were unsuccessful and urged council members to press the utility for answers on residents’ behalf.

Utility staff then briefed the council on a planned sale of the City’s water-and-sewer revenue bonds, series 2025A, to refinance short-term notes and fund outstanding plant costs and capital projects. The presentation laid out estimated sources and uses: a par amount of $72,030,000 (with an…