Grayson County holds public hearing on proposed water-rate ordinance for Grant Water System

Grayson County opened a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to establish user rates for the Grant Water System after Troutdale raised wholesale charges, the chair said. The county reported that Troutdale increased wholesale water rates from $5.50 to $11 per 1,000 gallons and that, under the proposed user-rate schedule, customer bills would rise from $40 to $44 bimonthly for the first 4,000 gallons.

The hearing drew a question from a resident who asked the board to verify whether any original contracts or customer agreements exist from when the Grant system was first installed. The resident asked, “Did you look up the original contract between these people and on the on the water when it was 1st put in,” and urged the county not to raise rates if prior agreements created limits.

Staff (Mr. Goyer) responded that county staff had searched records and “we couldn't find a contract that was sent out to individual homes,” noting that any email records from roughly 2004–2015 might not be available for review. The exchange focused on whether earlier agreements limit the county's ability to change user rates.

After public comment, the board closed the hearing and discussed next steps. One board member said the county had little choice but to adopt rates consistent with the wholesale increase and stated, “I don't see that we have much choice other than to adopt the rates.” That member also said he would “make a motion that we drop the increase” (language appears in the transcript). The chair called for a roll call; the transcript records the motion and the roll-call request but does not include a final recorded vote on the proposed ordinance.

Why it matters: the proposed ordinance would directly raise monthly household water bills for Grant System customers and follows a wholesale price increase from Troutdale. Residents pressing the county to locate prior contracts underscored legal and fairness questions the board said it would need to resolve before a final action is reflected in the transcript.

The public hearing was opened and closed during the meeting; the transcript does not record a final vote on the ordinance or an enactment date. The board conducted additional infrastructure and personnel business before adjourning.