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Dripping Springs residents may soon see an increase in their wastewater bills.
The Dripping Springs City Council discussed an item that would modify the city’s wastewater service rates at a May 5 meeting.
The big picture
The city is reviewing service rates to ensure they cover the cost to provide the services, according to People & Communications Director Lisa Sullivan. The last time the city adjusted wastewater rates was in 2022.
Deputy City Administrator Shawn Cox presented six options to the council, with varying contributions from the general fund, base fees and water usage fees. Based on the different funding scenarios presented, rates for a residential customer using an average of 5,262 gallons per month ranged from $103 to $133 for fiscal year 2025-26. All proposals were over a 100% increase from the current rate of about $50 for a customer with that usage.
Cox also presented potential rates for commercial customers. Commercial wastewater usage is represented using living unit equivalents. One LUE equates to the water needed to serve one residential dwelling, according to the West Travis County Public Utility Agency. For a business using three LUEs, prices ranged from $386 to $455 per month for FY 2025-26. The current rate for business with that usage is $165, with the proposals representing more than a 130% increase.
Rates would continue to rise each year in many of the scenarios presented.
What they’re saying
Mayor Bill Foulds asked the council and Cox to consider the factor of delinquent bills. He said the rate proposals did not account for a lack of cash flow from delinquent bills.
“We have a subset of citizens that there is no way they could handle some of these [rate] proposals,” Foulds said. “What I’m hearing from downtown is we’ve got to make things as affordable as we can.”
Council member Geoffrey Tahuahua discussed making cuts elsewhere in the city budget in order to offer lower wastewater rates.
“The question we should be asking ourselves is ‘how do we lessen this impact?’” Tahuahua said.
Looking ahead
The item will come back for further discussion at the next City Council meeting.
