Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ennis approves five‑year sewer contract with Garrett after questions over flows and rates
Summary
Commission approved a five‑year sanitary sewer contract with the City of Garrett (automatic renewals and 90‑day notice), with staff saying Garrett’s average flows are near the contract’s 30,000‑gallon/day average and wholesale customers pay a $92.50 base and $10 per thousand gallons above the first thousand.
The commission approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an updated sanitary sewer services contract renewing the agreement with the City of Garrett for a five‑year term with automatic five‑year renewals and a 90‑day termination/renegotiation clause. Staff said the agreement adds pretreatment requirements and that a redlined pretreatment ordinance will be attached to the contract before signature.
Commissioners raised multiple operational and financial questions. One asked what Garrett’s actual deliveries are against the contract’s average‑daily limit of 30,000 gallons; staff said the city’s records indicate annual volumes between roughly 200,000 and 2,300,000 gallons per year (staff noted this is an annual range and that utility billing can provide a monthly breakdown). On rates, staff explained there is a wholesale minimum monthly charge for outside city customers of $92.50 (which includes the first thousand gallons) and then a per‑thousand rate for additional volume.
Commissioners also discussed enforcement and testing: the contract requires periodic influent testing (now every six months) and provides for supplemental treatment charges or termination if pretreatment limits are exceeded after a compliance window. Staff noted the city is currently the only available treatment option for Garrett and that, while the contract contains a 90‑day notice clause, state regulatory and practical constraints could limit abrupt service termination.
The motion to approve the contract passed by voice vote.
