While City Council did not make any decisions on the project, council members voiced concerns about the overall costs and the actual need for additional resources.
The overview
Utilities Director Michael Mann said the GBRA project comes at an expected cost of around $5.88 billion to increase water delivery to the region.
Should Boerne decide to participate in the program to pull three million gallons of potable water, the capital cost could range between $383 million and $543 million, paid for around 30 years. An annual payment on the commitment would be over $12 million each year, Mann said.
Mann said the city currently has capacity for almost double the population of what is being served by the utility. Using growth assumptions, Mann projects the city to have adequate water until around 2070.
Should the city join the GBRA project, payments would be made beginning in 2028 or 2034.
“The big issue is that we would be paying not when we needed the water, but way before we do,” Mann said.
What they’re saying
Mayor Frank Ritchie said his preference would be for the city to focus on conservation efforts and expanding water recapture resources rather than invest millions each year in the GBRA project.
“Our responsibility is to the city of Boerne and the people that are living here now,” Mayor Ritchie said.
City Council echoed this thought process, focusing on planning for the resources the city has and how those resources can be expanded to benefit utility customers without having to do large rate increases in the near future.
Council member Quinten Scott asked staff if the infrastructure was in place for the city to distribute or store large amounts of water received by GBRA.
Mann said the city currently does not have that capacity, but will need to increase pumps and tanks over time to be able to receive that water.
