Texarkana officials put off vote to increase rates for water, sewer

TEXARKANA — The city Board of Directors decided Tuesday to take no action on an ordinance that would raise water and sewer rates, while seeming to concur that passing the measure is inevitable this year.

Mayor Allen Brown raised concerns about passing the increase without communicating to the public why it is necessary. Ward 6 Director Jeff Hart moved for a first reading of the ordinance, but the motion did not receive a second.

Ordinances must be read in public three times before the board may vote on them.

“The one thing that I know is that 100% I’m going to support the rate increase because I have to, because I’ve seen this coming since late 2019,” Brown said. “When we look at an ordinance that we do a rate increase for, we should be telling the citizens and people what we’re getting for that. And all this ordinance does in my opinion is kick in the rate increase.”

The board discussed options such as adding language explaining the increase to the ordinance itself or passing a concurrent resolution doing so.

Texarkana Water Utilities Executive Director Gary Smith told the board that increased revenue is needed to fund major projects on the horizon and to shore up the utility’s fund balance reserve.

The projects include installing an automatic meter-reading system, replacing lead and copper pipes, improving the Nix Creek sewer system, and replacing old clay and cast iron mains. Reserved funds today would pay for 25 days’ worth of expenditures, less than half of the recommended 60 days, a problem the new rates would solve by 2025.

“Without a doubt, we’re going to have to do it,” Ward 1 Director Terry Roberts said.

If the new rates pass, over the next three years, the utility’s minimum monthly charge will increase in different annual increments depending on the size of the water main in use. For example, the minimum charge for residential service in the city limits, up to 2,000 gallons, through a 5/8-inch main, will go up from the current $10.87 to $17.35, by $1.77 this October, $2.05 in 2023, $1.97 in 2024 and $.69 in 2025 — a total of $6.48.

Additional charges for higher volumes of water use will similarly increase in annual steps.