Cedar Park City Council voted July 23 to approve the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority’s, or BCRUA’s, fiscal year 2026-27 budget, which outlines the utility’s planned spending for the coming year and includes a $7.2 million contribution from Cedar Park.
Some context
The BCRUA is a partnership between the cities of Cedar Park, Leander and Round Rock to provide the area with drinking water, primarily through a system that draws water from Lake Travis.
Each of the three cities gets one vote on the BCRUA board. Cedar Park City Council member Anne Duffy currently serves as the city’s voting member and the board president.
The BCRUA board approved the budget June 24. Following the board vote, a separate approval is required from each of the three cities.
Leander and Round Rock city councils have yet to vote on the budget.
The breakdown
Of the $41.2 million total, roughly $7.8 million goes toward the operating budget, which pays for routine costs like maintenance, treatment chemicals and employee compensation, BCRUA General Manager Sam Roberts said.
The operating budget increased 8.8% over the previous year, he added.
The bulk of the budget is allocated to debt service associated with capital improvement projects, including construction of the deep-water intake, pipelines and water treatment plant.
The debt service budget of $33.4 million is an increase of 7.7% compared to the previous year’s budget.
