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Brownsville commission votes to eliminate R—saka dredging fee after Corps project ends
Summary
After the U.S. Army Corps terminated its R—saka project and BPUB reviewed remaining grants and local needs, the City Commission voted June 16 to remove the dedicated R—saka dredging account fee charged per water account, citing an $8.5 million balance and plans to fold future dredging costs into broader rate work.
The Brownsville City Commission voted June 16 to discontinue the city's dedicated R—saka dredging fee after a months-long review by the Brownsville Public Utilities Board and staff.
BPUB staff told the commission the fee was created in 2022 to fund dredging and a local share of a Corps of Engineers project. The Corps informed the city in April it would terminate the Corps-sponsored project, prompting staff and the board to re-examine how the city should fund reservoir dredging and other raw-water storage needs. Board members and staff reported an accumulated R—saka balance of roughly $8.5 million and existing federal grant opportunities (RESTORE and WaterSMART) that will cover some segments.
After presentations and questions from commissioners about scope and timing, BPUB recommended either reducing the fee or eliminating it and directed staff to limit city dredging to reservoirs the utility actually uses for water storage. The commission moved to remove the fee entirely and approved the motion by voice vote.
City staff emphasized that although the dedicated account will end, the city still expects to need dredging and raw-water management. Officials said dredging operations will continue for the two short reservoir segments identified as utility-critical and that the City's upcoming overall water-rate study will examine how to equitably allocate long-term dredging costs. The utility said it had roughly three to four years of operations funded under the existing balance and that it will return to the commission with rate-study recommendations for a long-term solution.
What the commission approved: elimination of the dedicated R—saka per-account fee and direction to staff and BPUB to manage dredging operations from existing funds and federal grants while completing a comprehensive water-rate study.
What remains: staff will complete the water-rate study and return with recommendations for whether dredging costs should be folded into regular water rates or funded through another dedicated mechanism. The utility also said it will continue smaller dredging projects under grants already awarded.
The decision follows months of BPUB discussion and public hearings; commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the city's ongoing rate and drainage analyses to avoid confusing residents with multiple small surcharges.
Vote: motion to remove the fee carried on a commission voice vote.
