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Council amends master fee schedule, approves targeted utility deposit exemptions and ACH discount
Summary
Council approved updates to the master fee schedule including a prospective exemption from residential utility deposits for teachers, law‑enforcement and government employees, a 25% ACH deposit discount on the $150 standard deposit, a 3% credit‑card surcharge, and reinstatement of deposits if customers become delinquent.
The Mineral Wells City Council adopted updates to the city's master fee schedule that alter utility deposit policy and add several fee modifications.
City staff presented four primary changes: exempting teachers, law‑enforcement officers and government employees from residential deposits prospectively; offering a 25% discount on the standard $150 deposit for customers who enroll and maintain ACH payments; reinstating deposits for customers who later become delinquent; and adding a 3% credit‑card surcharge to the schedule. Staff said the change would codify an earlier ordinance related to parkland dedication and reflect profit for aviation fuel in the schedule.
Council members expressed concern about drawing categorical lines for exemptions (for example, whether the exception would apply only to city employees or to all government employees, and whether veterans or pastors might be included). Staff clarified the intent is broader than just city employees and that the exemption would apply prospectively; deposits refunded previously would not be retroactively reinstated. Staff also said the department does not currently use credit scores to set deposit amounts but could return with a proposed scale tied to credit if the council wished.
One council member suggested a credit‑based or income‑based approach might be more equitable; others supported a simpler documentation approach or the government‑employee exemption. A motion to approve the ordinance with the utility deposit exemption for teachers, law enforcement officers and government employees, and for staff to review a credit‑based alternative, passed 6–0.
Key clarifications: the standard deposit referenced is $150; deposits are released after 12 months of on‑time payments and would only be reinstated prospectively if a customer becomes delinquent and service is shut off; staff indicated they could consider a letter from a previous utility verifying no late payments as an alternative pathway to waive a deposit.
