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Council adopts water and wastewater rate ordinances after lengthy cost‑of‑service discussion
Summary
After extended council questioning and public comment about class‑by‑class revenues and cost‑of‑service charts, the council voted to approve ordinances amending water and wastewater rates. Staff said the increases are driven primarily by prior debt service and operational costs for new water projects.
The City Council voted to adopt ordinances amending Corpus Christi code sections on water (Item 9) and wastewater (Item 10) rates following extended discussion of cost‑of‑service analyses and public comment. Staff and NewGen principal Andy McCartney explained the city used a prospective rate year and class‑based cost‑of‑service modeling to align revenues with long‑term obligations. "So what we're doing is using a prospective rate year... to set the rates," McCartney said, clarifying the methodology when council members asked about historical versus prospective comparisons.
Multiple council members pressed staff for charts showing revenues by customer class and examples that the public could use; public commenters urged more transparency and asked whether grant decisions or the desalination project affected rates. City staff reiterated that the rate adjustments reflect operational cost increases and prior debt service related to water‑supply projects rather than any single grant. The ordinances were carried after no public speakers asked to speak on the items during the vote window.
