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Council tables sewer-rate ordinance after debate over 'double dipping'
Summary
Council debated Ordinance 260201 to amend the sewer utility rate schedule (residential 2,000-gallon basic charge rising from $21.28 to $21.53). After extended debate about whether linking sewer increases to recent water-district hikes constituted 'double dipping,' the council voted to table the ordinance pending attorney review.
The Gregory City Council took up Ordinance 260201, proposed to amend the sewer-utility rate schedule for residential, commercial and industrial customers inside and outside the city. Staff explained the sewer charge is set as a user charge tied to water rates; the ordinance would raise the 2,000-gallon residential charge from $21.28 to $21.53.
Council members sharply disagreed about whether the increase amounts to "double dipping." "I don't think we should be double dipping," one councilor said, arguing that the utility had already passed along a front-end water-rate increase from the regional water district. Staff replied that the sewer charge follows a user-charge formula and that treatment and chemical costs obligate the city to cover operating expenses: "Our our rates are on a user charge. So every time you raise your water, you raise your sewer because it's on a user charge," staff said.
After discussion and requests for legal counsel to analyze consequences of not adopting the increase, a motion was made to table the ordinance until the next meeting to allow attorney review. The council recorded roll-call votes on the tabling motion: Angelus Saenz Arevalo, Aaron Boyes, Dominic Hernandez, George Hernandez and David Smith voted yes; the ordinance was tabled.
