The gist
On Oct. 2, Manvel City Council approved an ordinance to increase water and sewer rates, beginning Nov 1.
The increase will affect both the base rate and the volumetric rate, according to a news release.
The base rate, which covers the first 2,000 gallons of water used in a month, will increase by 14.9%, while the volumetric rate, which covers each additional 1,000 gallons used, will increase by 28.5%.
This translates to an increase of $4.23 per month on residents’ water bills and $5.07 on their sewer bills from the current base rates. In addition, there will bean increase of $5.07 per month on commercial water bills and $5.92 on sewer bills for commercial users, according to the release.
This news comes at a time when nearby communities, such as Pearland, are also increasing their water rates.
Quote of note
Prior to 2023, Manvel had not increased its water rates since 2000, despite the city’s population growth and the fact that nearby communities have increased their rates year over year, Public Information Officer Brooke Cyphers said.
Because of this, the city had to make annual transfers from its general fund to support utilities.
“This is a problem as the utility fund should be self-sustaining, meaning that the costs it incurs are covered by the revenue it generates,” Cyphers said.
In March 2022, the city was presented with a report that showed the revenue gap compared to other cities and summarized the revenue needs for water infrastructure projects, such as the Manvel Town Center Water Plant completed in early 2023 and the Manvel Town Center Wastewater Plant, which is anticipated to be operational by November, Cyphers said.
