Seguin City Councilmembers will consider changes to the City’s water and wastewater rates during their August 4 meeting.
The proposed ordinance would amend the City’s existing water and wastewater rate schedules.
A related item on the consent agenda also involves the Schertz/Seguin Local Government Corporation, which provides a significant portion of the region’s water supply.
Water may become one of the most important infrastructure issues facing Seguin as our community continues to grow.
More Homes and Businesses Mean More Demand
Seguin is experiencing substantial development.
Large residential communities are under construction or in the planning process. Industrial facilities continue locating and expanding in the region. Commercial development is following population growth.
Every new home and business creates additional demand on water and wastewater systems.
That means the City must plan not just for today’s population, but for what Seguin may look like ten, twenty or thirty years from now.
Water supply, treatment capacity, storage, pumping facilities, wastewater treatment and distribution infrastructure all have to keep pace.
Residents Deserve to Understand the Cost
Utility rate studies can be complicated, but the questions residents need answered are relatively simple.
How much will the average residential customer pay?
How does the proposed rate compare with the current rate?
How much of the increase is related to purchasing or producing water?
How much is needed for infrastructure?
How much is associated with wastewater treatment and system expansion?
And perhaps most importantly:
How much of the cost of growth is being paid by new development versus existing customers?
Growth should help strengthen Seguin’s tax and utility base. However, the infrastructure necessary to support that growth can be extremely expensive.
Impact fees, developer-funded infrastructure and other financing mechanisms should be structured so that existing residents are not unfairly required to subsidize new development.
Water Reliability Matters
Seguin and Guadalupe County are located in a rapidly growing part of Texas where long-term water availability cannot be taken for granted.
Drought, population growth and increasing industrial demand all make water planning increasingly important.
That does not mean Seguin should stop growing.
It means growth should occur alongside responsible planning for water availability and infrastructure.
Residents should expect city leaders to understand not only how much water is available today, but how future development affects long-term system reliability.
Wastewater Infrastructure Is Equally Important
Wastewater rarely receives the same public attention as water supply, but it is just as important.
New subdivisions and businesses require treatment capacity, sewer mains, lift stations and other infrastructure.
Failures to properly plan wastewater capacity can eventually restrict development or require extremely expensive emergency improvements.
Seguin should remain ahead of those problems instead of reacting to them later.
A Question of Balance
Better Seguin believes reliable water and wastewater service is fundamental to maintaining our community’s quality of life.
Investing in infrastructure is necessary.
At the same time, affordability matters.
Before approving changes to utility rates, residents should be given understandable information showing what the changes mean for a normal household and why the additional revenue is needed.
Seguin’s growth brings tremendous opportunities.
Good planning requires making sure the infrastructure supporting that growth remains reliable, affordable and financially sustainable.
The Seguin City Council meets Tuesday, August 4 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 210 E. Gonzales Street.
