NEWS
Water/sewer rate hike tabled
By BARBARA GREEN
A water and sewer rate proposal that could add $100 annually to the average city bill was tabled Monday night as Bowie City Councilors asked the staff to explore a possible cap on sewer usage.
In order to address ongoing budget revenue shortfalls, including a wastewater department that has generated a revenue loss for several years, as City Manager Ricky Tow prepared a new rate schedule.
This comes on the heels of a 2016 base rate increase that was implemented in both department during three years. That change made only a slight difference in the revenue amounts.
In 2016, the sewer department had a net revenue loss of $294,432. In 2015 it was $338,600, in 2014 it was $449,631 and in 2013 it was $532,961. Currently through February the net revenue loss is at $151,521.
For 2016, in the water department $120,574 in revenue was generated. In 2013 it was much higher at $229,473, dropping to $85,279 in 2014 and $81,360 in 2015. Currently through February is seeing $61,742 in the red for revenue.
The rate proposal is based on an average of 7,000 gallons of usage over a year and uses 2,100 accounts. Customers should also note the water and sewer gallons are gauged at the same level, they do not separate as they are calculated through the meter.
Read the full story in the mid-week News.
After nearly three months of no rain, Mother Nature brought the showers this past week.
Downtown Bowie rain reports varied from 7 to 8 inches, while the Saint Jo area reported a 10-inch total. The city water plant in Bowie reported 5.55 inches on Sept. 30 with 1.6 Oct. 1-3.
Nocona saw a total of 6.31 inches of rain across Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
On Oct. 6, Lake Amon G. Carter saw a level of 917.39 mean sea level rising to 81.31% full. Just one week earlier the lake was 73.6% full, while one year ago it was 94.01%. The lake is full at 920msl.
Lake Nocona was 73.7% full at 823.02 on Oct 6. One week earlier it was 70.41% full and one year ago it was 92.41%. The lake is full at 827.5 msl.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
One Montague County City has joined the battle against any data centers being built in this county and there is a petition drive underway to urge the commissioner’s court to keep data centers out of Montague County.
At a Sept. 28 called meeting of the Saint Jo City Council, officials unanimously approved a resolution stating its opposition to the “siting, permitting, construction or operation of data centers and similar hyperscale computing facilities within the city limits or the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
City Secretary Debbie Dennis said several citizens approached Councilor Jack Dunn about their data center concerns and he helped prepare a resolution. The council gave unanimous support.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
Montague County Judge Kevin Benton has signed an order lifting the outdoor burn ban effective Oct. 7.
Persons are still urged to be cautious when they are out working in the countryside to avoid any spark that could cause a wildfire.
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