Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bowie council approves Atmos Energy settlement, schedules tax-rate hearing and conveys land for memory center
Summary
The Bowie City Council approved a negotiated Atmos Energy settlement that narrows average residential and commercial rate impacts, scheduled a public hearing on the 2024 proposed tax rate, and approved conveyance of a small strip of city land to Bowie LLC for a proposed memory center. Several routine budget and infrastructure items were also approved.
The Bowie City Council approved an ordinance adopting a negotiated settlement between the Atmos Cities Steering Committee and Atmos Energy Corp., voted to schedule a public hearing on the city's 2024 proposed tax rate, and authorized conveyance of a small parcel to a private developer for a proposed memory center during its regular meeting.
Pamela, an Atmos representative providing the council packet, outlined the company's rate-review filing and the elements that drove the requested adjustments, including 267 miles of pipeline work, about 1,400,000 line locates and roughly 3,500 hazardous leak responses. Pamela said membership in the ACSC and subsequent legal review lowered the average residential impact from $6.77 to $5.02 and reduced the average commercial impact from $17.42 to $13.39. "It shows in the highlighted spots that instead of, paying $6.77 a month, that would be the average cost for a household. It's been reduced to $5.02 on average," Pamela said.
The council approved the ordinance adopting the settlement tariffs after Pamela's presentation. The ordinance language, as read into the record, described the council's finding that the settlement tariffs are just and reasonable and directed the city manager to deliver the ordinance to the company and ACSC counsel.
Council also considered the city's proposed 2024 tax rate (presented in the packet as "5 4 3 0"). Staff noted this would be the third consecutive year at that figure. Council voted to record the proposed tax rate and scheduled a public hearing on the rate for Aug. 26. The vote to record the proposed rate and to set the hearing passed with council members registering aye votes.
On land use and development, the council approved a planning-and-zoning replat request from Leanne Widmer to create two lots from roughly 3.824 acres in the North Park subdivision at the Lovers Lane and Highway 59 corner. Council heard that the parcel is expected to become a retail store; one council member said they understood AutoZone will be the buyer. The council also approved an ordinance to convey Lots 17 through 20, Block 7 (1200 block of Madison Street) to Bowie LLC. City staff explained the strip had been inadvertently omitted from previous deeds; the buyer will complete legal work at no cost to the city to enable construction of a proposed memory center.
Other actions approved included acceptance of the June 2024 financial statements, a $4,200 expenditure from the meter tap account to purchase ten 2-inch commercial water meters requested by public works director Stoney, and acceptance of the annual CPI adjustment for the Waste Connections contract (staff will correct erroneous dates on the vendor letter and reissue it).
During public comment, resident Philip Warren asked the council to improve the meeting microphones and camera tracking for online viewers and raised concerns about the quality of recent street repairs near the elementary school and other intersections, noting heat and heavy traffic could quickly degrade new asphalt. "For people who try to view online, it is imperative that the microphones are on," Warren said.
The council closed the meeting at 6:34 p.m. and indicated several projects remain on the schedule, including downtown revitalization bidding in September and construction to begin in November if bids proceed.
