(a) 
The utility bill is defined as the collective charge for utility services of water, sewer, and solid waste collection. The bill may also include, but is not limited to, any unpaid balance due, service charges, late charges, sales tax on solid waste collection and voluntary contributions (where applicable).
(b) 
The rates for water, sewer, and solid waste collection furnished by the city to a consumer shall be as established by ordinance and collected under the utility bill.
(c) 
The rates for water and sewer shall be reviewed annually and set accordingly by the city council.
(Ordinance 6415 adopted 9/20/21)
(a) 
Utility bills shall become due and payable within a twenty-one (21) day period after the date of the utility bill. If not paid within a twenty-one day period after the date of the utility bill, the utility bill will be considered past due and a 10% late fee shall be applied to the account. Should the entire past due utility bill, including all late fees, not be paid within fifteen (15) days from the past due date, the utility services shall be subject to being disconnected. Accounts appearing on the termination listing are subject to additional termination fees set forth in section 13.08.001. Utilities shall not be restored until all arrearage and associated fees have been paid. In the event of unauthorized use of water or a water meter, an additional fee will be charged.
(b) 
Payments returned to the city by the depository for any reason shall be subject to a handling fee in the amount established by ordinance. Customers tendering payment of a utility bill with a returned payment must cover such payment with a negotiable instrument or cash acceptable to the utility billing department within ten (10) days of notification of such returned payment. If payment is not received, such customer shall be subject to having the utility service terminated, resulting in additional fees for such termination.
(c) 
Utility accounts remaining in a disconnected status due to nonpayment may be closed after 10 business days. Service will not be reconnected until closed account balance is paid in full and applicable install fee and/or deposit is paid to re-establish a new account.
(d) 
Delinquent utility bills may also be collected by suit in a court of competent jurisdiction.
(e) 
Imposition of city lien:
(1) 
In addition to other lawful remedies available to the city, the city is entitled to perfect a lien on the real property of any real property owner that fails to pay for city-provided utility services, including, but not limited to, water, sewer and solid waste removal. The authority to perfect a lien under this subsection shall not apply to any property exempted under section 552.0025 of the Texas Local Government Code, including:
(A) 
Homestead property as protected by the Texas Constitution;
(B) 
Property on which service was connected in a tenant's name after notice by the property owner to the city that the property is rental property; and
(C) 
Property on which service was connected in a tenant's name prior to the effective date of the ordinance from which this subsection is derived.
(2) 
The city's lien for delinquent utility bills shall be perfected by filing in the county real property records a notice of lien containing the legal description of the property and the account number for the delinquent charges. The amount due under the lien may include penalties, interest and collection costs. The notice of lien shall be signed by the city manager or his or her designee and will be released when all amounts due are satisfied and paid in full with all costs associated with the release of the lien to be paid by the person or entity. Interest shall accrue on the amount stated in the lien at the rate of ten (10) percent per annum, beginning on the date the lien is perfected. The lien is inferior to a bona fide mortgage lien recorded before the city's lien, but the city's lien is superior to all other liens, including previously recorded judgment liens and any liens recorded after the city's lien.
(Ordinance 5469, sec. 5, adopted 7/16/07; Ordinance 6582 adopted 4/3/2023)
(a) 
All nonresidential accounts, multi-unit residential accounts and accounts serviced outside the city limits shall be charged a deposit per account, to be paid at the time of application. Water deposits shall be charged based on meter size, subject to the schedule below, with a maximum deposit of $10,000.00 per account. No deposit shall be required for single-unit residential property or for multi-unit residential property where each living unit is on a separate meter.
Meter size
(in inches)
Deposit amount
5/8 or 3/4"
$150.00
1"
$300.00
1-1/2"
$500.00
2"
$600.00
3"
$2,500.00
4"
$5,000.00
6" and larger
$10,000.00
(b) 
For multi-unit residential customers on a single meter, the deposit shall be the number of living units times the deposit for a 5/8" or 3/4" meter size.
(c) 
A deposit equal to an estimated one-month bill shall be charged for all customers receiving sewer service only. Maximum sewer deposit shall be ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) per account.
(d) 
Landlords, real estate and property management companies may establish a master deposit in the amount of three hundred dollars ($300.00) to be used to establish service for residential properties. Upon request to establish new service, each account will be billed an install fee as defined in section 13.09.001. The deposit will remain in place until all active services established with the master deposit are closed and the accounts are paid in full; and the customer requests the master deposit account be closed.
(e) 
Deposit for payment delinquency: The utility billing department shall have the authority to increase or to require a new utility deposit up to two (2) times the customer's average monthly bill upon the second occurrence of account payment delinquency within any consecutive 12-month period, or upon application for and prior to reconnection of disconnected service. Deposits will be due upon notice and may be billed to the utility account. Failure to pay a billed deposit, including any past due or service charges, may result in disconnection of service. In cases where the service is disconnected, the past due charges, any other service charges assessed by the utility billing department, and the deposit amount required shall be paid in full before the disconnected service is restored. This shall apply for all customers, even if a utility deposit has been previously refunded to a customer based on an excellent payment history as defined in section 13.08.004. The increased or new deposit shall be refunded during subsequent, consecutive 12-months of billings in which the customer meets the excellent payment history criteria.
(Ordinance 6037 adopted 7/17/17; Ordinance 6644 adopted 9/18/2023; Ordinance 6870 adopted 9/15/2025)
(a) 
Early refunds.
(1) 
Utility deposits, excluding master deposits, shall be refunded for accounts with an excellent payment history after a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive billings. An excellent payment history is defined as:
(A) 
No service disconnections for a delinquent bill.
(B) 
No late fees.
(C) 
No returned or rejected payments.
(2) 
Utility deposits for accounts meeting the excellent payment history criteria will be applied to the utility account as a credit, during the billing process. Credit balances will remain on the utility account and apply to future billings.
(b) 
Refunds.
If a utility deposit is not refunded after the first twelve (12) consecutive monthly billings because the customer fails to meet the criteria for an excellent payment history or closes the utility account prior to meeting the criteria, the deposit shall be refunded upon disconnection of service, less any amount due the city. Any refund amount less than one dollar ($1.00) may be collected by contacting the customer and utility services department.
(Ordinance 6037 adopted 7/17/17)
(a) 
Water furnished by the City to a customer, other than any customer who dwells or resides in a multiunit dwelling within the city limits, shall be charged at the following rates effective April 1, 2026, for the first 1,500 gallons of water used according to meter size and unit of measurement of the meter register:
Meter Sizes
(in inches)
Minimum Monthly Amount
5/8 or 3/4
$26.91
1
$53.10
1 1/2
$106.69
2
$181.78
3
$396.29
4
$696.57
6
$1,554.59
8
$3,767.73
10
$7,535.46
12 and larger
$490,000.00
For purposes of this subsection (a), if a customer has two or more meters each of which is in excess of eight inches serving the same property, lot, or parcel of land, the meters will be aggregated for purposes of determining the meter size and the minimum monthly amount.
(b) 
Volume charge:
(1) 
Except as noted below, the charge for all water consumed in excess of the minimum 1,500 gallons shall be billed at a rate as follows beginning October 1, 2025:
Gallons
Rate per 1,000 Gallons
1,500—20,000 gallons
$3.86
20,001—100,000 gallons
$5.11
100,001—500,000 gallons
$6.36
500,001—15,000,000 gallons
$7.61
15,000,001—above
$9.36
(2) 
For purposes of subsection (b), if a customer has two or more meters each of which is in excess of eight inches serving the same property, lot, or parcel of land, the number of gallons consumed at the multiple meters will be aggregated for purposes of determining the total number of gallons and the rate per 1,000 gallons.
(3) 
Water meters utilized for lawn sprinkling systems shall be charged according to meter size plus the consumption volume charge listed above per 1,000 gallons of water used in excess of the minimum 1,500 gallons during the billing months of July through October of any fiscal year. During the billing months of November through June of any fiscal year, such water sprinkler meters shall be billed a minimum monthly charge as would be billed to a 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch meter.
(c) 
All multiunit dwellings within the City shall be charged for water consumption and availability utilizing the following formula:
Gallons Calculation
(Number of units X $26.91) +
(Gallons of water used) - (number of units X 1,500 gallons)
1,000
X
Volume Charge
(d) 
Meters and meter reading equipment at the service address are the responsibility of the account holder. Lost, damaged, or stolen meters and meter reading equipment will be billed to account holder at current replacement cost. Normal wear is excluded.
(e) 
Bulk water sales:
Upon the approval of the city utility billing department, commercial customers may purchase bulk water from a designated meter or hydrant. Bulk water sales will be metered by the city and purchased in advance. Water sales will be calculated using outside the city rates. Bulk water sales will be for one-time purchases. Customers needing water for multiple occurrences or days must establish a fire hydrant meter account, following the required procedures to establish such account, set forth in section 13.08.003 of this code.
(Ordinance 6054 adopted 9/5/17; Ordinance 6415 adopted 9/20/21; Ordinance 6527 adopted 9/19/2022; Ordinance 6644 adopted 9/18/2023; Ordinance 6709 adopted 4/1/2024; Ordinance 6785 adopted 10/21/2024; Ordinance 6870 adopted 9/15/2025; Ordinance 6928 adopted 4/20/2026)
(a) 
All persons using the sanitary sewer system and lines of the City shall be charged as follows:
(1) 
Sewage charges.
The sewage charge will be based upon the amount of water used and the size of the water meter(s). Each sanitary sewer system customer, except multiunit dwelling complexes with one or more master meters, shall be charged a minimum charge as follows:
Meter Size
Minimum Monthly Amount, Whether 1,500 Gallons of Water are Used
Water meters smaller than 12"
$10.73
Water meters 12" and larger
$450,000.00
For purposes of subsection (a), if a customer has two or more meters each of which is in excess of eight inches serving the same property, lot, or parcel of land, the size of the meters will be aggregated for purposes of determining the meter size and the minimum monthly amount.
(2) 
Volume charge.
(A) 
Residential.
For residential customers, the charge for sewer is based on all water consumed in excess of the minimum 1,500 gallons and shall be billed at a rate as follows:
Gallons
Rate per 1,000 Gallons
1,500–9,000 gallons
$4.56
For residential customers, the maximum sewer charge will be $44.93 per residential dwelling unit.
(B) 
Commercial.
For commercial customers, except for multiunit dwelling complexes with one or more master meters, the charge for sewer is based on all water consumed in excess of the minimum 1,500 gallons and shall be billed at a rate as follows:
Gallons
Rate per 1,000 Gallons
1,500–100,000 gallons
$4.56
100,001–500,000 gallons
$5.81
500,001–10,000,000 gallons
$7.06
10,000,001–above
$12.00
For purposes of subsection (b), if a customer has two or more meters each of which is in excess of eight inches serving the same property, lot, or parcel of land, the number of gallons consumed at the multiple meters will be aggregated for purposes of determining the total number of gallons and the rate per 1,000 gallons.
(b) 
For multiunit dwelling complexes with one or more master meters, the total sewage charge will be based on the amount of water used and will be the lower figure calculated from either of the two following formulas:
Gallons Calculation
(number of dwelling units X $10.73) +
(gallons of water used) - (number of units X 1,500 gallons)
X $4.56
1,000
or
number of dwelling units X $44.93
(c) 
Industrial surcharge.
An additional surcharge is to be added to the above charge for the total sewage charge whenever the customer’s sewage exceeds that of normal domestic wastewater, as defined in article 13.07, water, sewers and sewage disposal, section 13.07.140. The industrial waste surcharge represents an apportionment of the cost of handling the excess load imposed on the sewage treatment plant by wastes stronger than “normal domestic wastewater.” The amount of surcharge shall reflect the cost incurred by the city in removing the excess BOD and TSS, as determined by regularly monitored effluent. During the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2017, industrial surcharges shall be calculated and charged for at the following rates:
Cu - Vu [B(Bu - 250 mg/l) + S(Su - 250 mg/l)]
Where:
Cu is the surcharge for users X;
Vu is the billing volume for user X per 1,000 gallons;
Bu is the tested BOD levels for user X or 250 mg/l, whichever is greater; B is the unit cost factor for treating one (1) unit of BOD per 1,000 gallons ($0.003534);
Su is the tested TSS level for user X or 250 mg/l, whichever is greater;
S is the unit cost factor for treating one (1) unit of TSS per 1,000 gallons ($0.002598).
(Ordinance 6054 adopted 9/5/17; Ordinance 6415 adopted 9/20/21; Ordinance 6527 adopted 9/19/2022; Ordinance 6644 adopted 9/18/2023; Ordinance 6785 adopted 10/21/2024; Ordinance 6870 adopted 9/15/2025; Ordinance 6928 adopted 4/20/2026)
A utility surcharge fee may be imposed for the cost of utility improvements incurred to provide water and/or sewer services to newly annexed areas. The city shall assess and collect monthly utility surcharge fee for water and/or sewer until the costs of improvements that are not normally incurred by the city or other subdivisions within the city and assumed by the city upon annexation have been recovered. The utility surcharge fee(s) will be set based on the cost the city incurs to provide water and/or sewer services. Each service provided will have a separate fee. Each utility customer will receive a written notice of the fee(s), which will be charged on the monthly utility bill and collected following section 13.08.002 utility billing. The fee(s) will be charged per unit including any future development within the annexed area.
(Ordinance 6055 adopted 9/5/17)