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Clute approves budget, water and sewer rates
Published September 26, 2009
CLUTE — City Council approved a city budget for next fiscal year that included a water and sewer rate increase, but members weren’t happy about it.
City Council approved the more than $12 million spending plan for 2009-10 and water and sewer rate increase that accompanies that budget at its meeting Wednesday. It also approved the 67-cent per $100 assessed property value tax rate, 2 cents lower than the current year, at its Thursday meeting.
The approved budget is $332,533 more than this year’s budget, City Manager Kyle McCain said.
Though all council members voted for the budget, Councilwoman Shelly Key and Councilman Wilbert Bonner voted against the water and sewer rate increase.
“This affects all of the citizens and all of the commercial businesses,” Key said.
The rate increase is necessary to pay for the $3 million in certificates of obligation to build a well, relocate utility lines and repair the sewer line running along Old Angleton Road to the wastewater treatment plant, McCain said. It is the city’s first increase on those services in several years, he said.
Without the increase, City Council would have had to cut the budget or pull money from the utility reserve fund that is intended for emergencies, McCain said.
The increase also was influenced by Brazosport Water Authority’s rate hike this year, Mayor Calvin Shiflet said.
Shiflet and the other council members who voted for the increase expressed reluctance to pass raise the fees, but said it was necessary to pay off the debt related to repairing the sewer line.
Though the initial increase is high, City Council hopes to lower it after reaching an agreement with Richwood about its payment for use of the Old Angleton Road sewer line, Shiflet said.
“We really need to come back to this as soon as possible,” Councilman David Culpepper said.
Until October, the current water and sewer base rates are $10 monthly for each service, which pays for the first 2,000 gallons. Every 1,000 gallons in excess of 2,000 is $2.75 more.
City Council approved increasing the monthly base rate for each service to $10.50. Residential properties will receive the first 1,000 gallons of water with that base rate and will pay $2.95 per 1,000 for water or sewer from 1,001 gallons to 20,000 gallons. Water then will cost $3.15 per 1,000 gallons for use exceeding 20,001 gallons, and there will be no additional charge for sewer service in excess of 20,000 gallons.
A resident using 5,000 gallons of water currently is charged $18.75 a month, but will soon be paying $22.30 each month, a 19 percent increase, McCain said.
Commercial properties also will have a base rate of $10.50 per month, but will be charged $2.95 per 1,000 gallons for water and sewer starting with the first 1,000 gallons. For every 1,000 gallons of water or sewer exceeding 20,000 gallons, a commercial property well be charged $3.15 per 1,000 gallons.
In addition, City Council approved hiring an additional police officer, court clerk, two part-time jailers and a part-time fire marshal. The positions will cost $121,860.
Major increases in the budget are related to the sewer line project, the retirement fund and health insurance, Shiflet said.
Other budget amendments included increasing the city manager’s auto allowance, paying for the Brazoria County Appraisal District, Hurricane Ike-related expenditures and other items that cost more than City Council approved.
Council members were concerned they were asked to make all of these changes at the end of the year instead of as they occurred.
“I would really like to push that we see these as they come up,” Culpepper said.
Katlynn Lanham covers Clute for The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0150.
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PAYDAY ADVANCE
The 2009-10 budget includes enough money for either a
3 percent raise or salary adjustment for all city employees.
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