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Balch Springs council deadlocks on utility billing changes, directs staff to return with fiscal impact
Summary
Council debated a proposed overhaul of utility payment-plan limits — including options ranging from 3 to 18 months — but failed to adopt an amendment and instead voted to have staff return with detailed budget impacts and implementation recommendations.
Council members spent the longest portion of the July 27 meeting debating changes to the city's utility billing and collections policy after a staff audit and accompanying draft payment-plan guidelines were presented.
"We dropped the ball as well," said Council Member Hill, arguing council should offer more flexible payment plans for residents who owe large balances while also holding the city accountable for past transitions. Hill proposed a case-by-case payment-plan approach with up to 12 months for bills up to $5,700 and up to 18 months only for substantially larger balances.
Staff recommended a more conservative approach. Utilities staff member Beatty told the council the staff recommendation in the packet was "not to exceed 6 months," citing fiscal-year accounting concerns and a multi-year backlog of unpaid accounts. Beatty said staff is reviewing an aging report with over 6,000 accounts and working to correct meter and billing errors that contributed to high balances.
Council members debated tiered ranges (three months for the smallest balances, six months for moderate, 12 months for larger, and 18 months for the largest). Council Member Gabriel urged including due-process safeguards, hardship and medical protections and an appeals process in any revised policy. Council Member Garcia moved the consent motion earlier in the meeting and later seconded the motion to let staff return with numbers after Hill's motion failed for lack of a second.
A motion by Council Member Hill to approve the audit processes with the payment-plan amendments failed for lack of a second. The council then voted to direct staff to return with the fiscal impact and implementation details; that motion passed.
What happens next: staff will bring back a recommendation with exact numbers on how adopting broader payment plans would affect the city's budget and report which accounts would be impacted. The council's decision preserves the status quo until staff produces those figures and suggested policy language.
