Water rates to increase 20 percent

You might just be clutching your water bill in disbelief come October, but it’s no trick.

Odessa City Council members approved of a 20 percent base rate-increase with a tiered billing system at their meeting Tuesday in City Hall.

Price increases are a result of the Colorado River Municipal Water District raising their fixed prices to the City of Odessa due to a new debt for the construction of an additional pipeline to get groundwater from the Ward County water fields.

Under the new ordinance, the base water rate for residents with a three-quarter inch meter will be a $3.20 increase to $25.03 for the base water usage of 2,000 gallons a month. The $3.20 variance on water usage remains the same for city water customers using up to 10,000 gallons of water per month.

With the tiered billing system, customers who use more water after 15,000 gallons a month will see their bill increase accordingly. Customers using around 15,000 gallons per month will have a $5.80 increase over the current usage rate and be billed $111. The variance continues up to $63 above the current bill, increasing to $473.63, for customers using 100,000 gallons per month.

The percentage increase was greatest at the highest levels (15.3 percent for the 100,000 gallon rate and 14.0 percent for the 75,000 gallon rate) and the lowest level (14.7 percent for the 2,000 gallon rate).

Although absolute water prices will increase to reflect high water usage, the augmented water rate continues to decrease from $12.51 per thousand gallons at the base to $4.74 per thousand gallons at the highest.

Residents with a senior and disability discount rate will see their water bills increase by $2.86 for usage up to 10,000 gallons per month. The discounted base water rate for 2,000 gallons per month will be $22.33.

Rates will go into effect Sept. 1 and will be reflected in the October water bill.

The City of Odessa has to pay CRMWD around $4 million for the new Ward County pipeline. City council members had previously discussed a 10 percent increase across the board, and were also considering a 10 percent tiered-increase.

Due to the cost of the pipeline being fixed, the city will still have to pay around $4 million, regardless of how much water is used. City Manager Richard Morton said water rate prices must increase for the city to have enough revenue to pay for the pipeline.

“Twenty percent sounds like a lot, but it’s only $2.86,” Morton said about the discounted water rates for senior and disability residents during the briefing before the city council meeting.

If there were a 100 percent increase, Morton said the base rate could have increased by $10 to $11.

During the public hearing for the ordinance, Odessa resident Conrad Turner opposed the changes to the water rates. Turner also spoke at the first public hearing for the water rates during the Aug. 9 city council meeting.

“When the citizens elected you nice folks, you promised to take care of us,” Turner said. “You’re selling us something we need vitally that you don’t have, and you’re raising the prices. You should be ashamed.”

Turner then stormed out of the meeting.

@OAlifestyle

Residential rates for 3/4 inch meter

THE COUNCIL ALSO APPROVED:

• The acceptation and appropriation of $2,416 received by the Odessa Policy Academy Class 3 for Police Department training.
• The 2011-2012 budget for the Emergency Communication District of Ector County.
• The authorization of the city manager to approve change-orders to contracts involving an increase or decrease of $50,000 or less.
• A reimbursement agreement with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for overtime salary costs and other costs incurred by the Odessa Police Department. Reimbursement requests will be made on a monthly basis, up to $7,500 per year for a five-year period.
• Authorized OPD to accept a one year grant from the attorney general’s office for a crime victim liaison for a salary of $42,000 and benefits for a year.
• The monthly financial summary report for July 2011.
• An Odessa Development Corp. training grant program, including a training grant for Triangle Pump Components and Miether Bearing Products, Inc.
• A $5 million contract with Motorola Solutions for the purchase of a back-up radio site, dispatch consoles, logging recorder, subscribers for non-public safety, CAD-RMS software, subscriber upgrades for OPD and Odessa Fire Department and mobile work stations for OFD. The contract was subject to approval upon approval of the city attorney.
• A bid award of $2,199,037 by Smithco Construction for Phase 5 of water and sewer line improvements.
• A proposed tax rate of 52.275 cents for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The final vote will take place Sept. 23. A special discussion meeting is scheduled 6 p.m. Sept. 20 in the city council chamber. The proposed tax rate is the same as the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
• A public hearing for the 2011-2012 annual budget. The final approval is scheduled Sept. 13.
• A Chapter 380 Agreement with WFDR Partnership for development of property east of Faudree Road and Tres Hermanas Boulevard.
• The appointments of Ismael Navarrette to the Community Development Advisory Committee, Cathy Rodriguez to the Traffic Advisory Committee, Willie Taylor, Kevin Demel, Sue Mercer and Bill Cleaver to the Tax Incentive Committee and LeeDon Martin as an alternate member to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
• YMCA employee Sheri Bassham spoke during citizen comments on the distribution of “obscene” postcards by Jaguar Gold Club.