The La Marque City Council advanced a five-year water and sewer rate schedule in a first reading on Dec. 12, moving the proposed ordinance to a second reading.

Staff member Mister Ferguson presented the revised schedule, saying the proposal reduces previously larger increases while providing a full five-year plan that "allows us to more accurately meet sewer as the higher version of the rate since it is more costly for us to process sewer than it is to process water." He said the fixed monthly charge for residential accounts would increase from $12.50 to $15 and that commodity charges are calculated per thousand gallons.

Council members asked for clarifications about senior discounts and the bill impact. Ferguson confirmed seniors receive a $1 reduction per thousand gallons on both water and sewer and said the exhibit attached to the ordinance shows per-year charges calculated through fiscal year 2030. When asked how much a typical customer might see, staff estimated increases in the general range of roughly 15–30 percent depending on usage.

Ferguson and other staff tied the rate proposal to the utility’s fiscal stability: "We have bonds that are related to our utility infrastructure," he said, adding that revenue from rates helps meet bond commitments and that insufficient rates could lead to further downgrades or, in a worst-case, a bond call. Council members pressed staff to continue providing clear, layman-friendly examples of bill changes and to include details on purchased water from Gulf Coast.

After discussion, the council moved and approved the ordinance on first reading to bring it back for a required second reading at a later meeting.

The ordinance text listed on the agenda references Ordinance O-2025-0029; the first reading passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The item remains subject to a second reading before final adoption.