• FAQ
• Overview

• First, I am uncertain these charges are necessary. While the Turner Administration argues the Consent Decree requires such changes, that is not entirely clear. There has not been a detailed breakdown of the exact expenditures needed, much as you would find in any corporate undertaking. Further, if such charges are necessary, they should have been disclosed before signing the Consent Decree.

• Second, this proposal sets forth increases for the next FIVE years. Five years is too long of a time frame since there are too many unknowns in any one year, let alone five, that could and would impact the projects and their costs. I would like to see rate increases, if any, justified each year. After five years of these proposed increases, your water bill will surge upwards of around 60%. Additionally, these new increases do not include the annual adjustment water customers see on their bill in every year in April. This adjustment is usually an increase of between .03% and 4.40% and is based on changes to the Annual U.S. Census Houston Population Index and U.S. Consumer Price Index. Add this to the proposed rate increase, and residents could see their water bills jump by 78% over the next five years.

• Third, there is no attempt to mitigate costs and the five-year time frame offers no incentive to do so. Again, I would like the see rate increases, if any, justified each year.

• Fourth, in the same vein as above, options of federal funding to address these concerns are available and should be discussed. There remain an excess of COVID relief funds as well as the potential for federal assistance through the bipartisan infrastructure deal that was recently reached in Washington. Mayor Turner should explore all of these options before consideration of any significant rate increases.

• Fifth, the timing could not be worse. While there remains a need to repair infrastructure that has suffered through years of deferred maintenance, residents are still struggling to get back on their feet from the effects of the government-imposed lockdowns. I cannot justify the addition of another financial burden upon families in our city.

• Sixth, I also have concerns about what exactly is being paid for through these increases. The Mayor’s Administration claims the proposed water and wastewater rates will include the cost of making the first five years of investments agreed upon in the Consent Decree. However, we do not know exactly what improvements will be made.

• Seventh, likewise, I have no assurances that these hypothetical improvements will benefit the residents of District G. While our district will be heavily impacted by these proposed rate increases. As of right now I see no plan that details how much of these expected revenues will actually go towards much-needed projects in District G neighborhoods. It is my fear, based on past experiences, that these projects will be scattered in other parts of our city, offering residents of District G no improvements and no relief.