By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The Bowie City Council took no action Monday on a pair of proposed water rate increase plans asking for additional figures before making a decision.
City Manager Bert Cunningham reviewed two rate plans for water which he said are needed to “ensure the financial stability of the city.” The manager said no one wants increases, but rates must be raised periodically to progress and make improvements.
In the presentation the CM said just like citizen’s costs have increased the city’s cost also have gone up especially this past year, pointing to costs in some supplies going up 30 to 40%.
“The cost of operations, treating water and requirements of our state regulatory agency, TCEQ, have made it so that on average we are losing money in our water fund. We cannot continue to let this happen,” he explained.
In 2018 the water rates were inadequate to rising costs so they were increased by 4% to pay for inflated costs of treating water, maintenance of the water plant and replacing old lines throughout the city.
An infrastructure fund was established and can only be used for water and sewer line projects with council approval. Cunningham said since then, the city has self-financed several water and sewer lines in all parts of the city replacing more than 5,000 feet of line.
In the last three years due to increasing costs, new funds have not been added to the infrastructure fund. It has gone from about $1.2 million to $426,000 in July of this year.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

Click on the link below to read the full three-year water rate study and rate proposals.

https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/THREE-YEAR-WATER-RATE-STUDY.pdf