Lewisville Leader > News
No rate increase to Highland Village water and wastewater charges
From staff reports
At a special meeting Thursday, the Highland Village City Council received the annual update on city water and wastewater rates. The city staff recommended no increase to the 2013 calendar year rates paid by residents.
Under the current rate structure, the city of Highland Village subscribes to the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) for a portion of the water supplied to residents. The utility rate paid by residents is divided into two components; the city internal cost and the UTRWD cost. Each year the rate is reviewed and updated to reflect increases or decreases in the rates from the wholesale provider, UTRWD, through a reconciliation of billed amounts compared to actual charges incurred by the city.
The city is able to apply the roll off of utility capital expenditures to the cost of the wholesale water purchased from the UTRWD. These funds allow the 2013 wholesale pass through rate to remain the same and, further, no increase is projected for 2014.
"At a time when many cities are raising their water rates, we are pleased to report no increase in water rates for our residents. Our management team and utility staff have planned well for the city's water needs," said Mayor Pat Davis.
The city purchases three million gallons of treated drinking water per day from the UTRWD. This is the primary source of the city's drinking water. Highland Village also owns and maintains five water wells that produce 4.2 million gallons of water a day. These are used as needed to meet peak demand, especially during summer months of high usage.
The total combined amount from these two sources is normally sufficient to provide Highland Village residential and commercial consumers with the water they require, as well as to maintain adequate reserve quantities and pressure from the storage system to meet emergency and firefighting demands.
Under the current rate structure, the city of Highland Village subscribes to the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) for a portion of the water supplied to residents. The utility rate paid by residents is divided into two components; the city internal cost and the UTRWD cost. Each year the rate is reviewed and updated to reflect increases or decreases in the rates from the wholesale provider, UTRWD, through a reconciliation of billed amounts compared to actual charges incurred by the city.
The city is able to apply the roll off of utility capital expenditures to the cost of the wholesale water purchased from the UTRWD. These funds allow the 2013 wholesale pass through rate to remain the same and, further, no increase is projected for 2014.
"At a time when many cities are raising their water rates, we are pleased to report no increase in water rates for our residents. Our management team and utility staff have planned well for the city's water needs," said Mayor Pat Davis.
The city purchases three million gallons of treated drinking water per day from the UTRWD. This is the primary source of the city's drinking water. Highland Village also owns and maintains five water wells that produce 4.2 million gallons of water a day. These are used as needed to meet peak demand, especially during summer months of high usage.
The total combined amount from these two sources is normally sufficient to provide Highland Village residential and commercial consumers with the water they require, as well as to maintain adequate reserve quantities and pressure from the storage system to meet emergency and firefighting demands.
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