(a) 
Inside the City Limits.
Residential:
 
First 2,000 gallons minimum
$25.55
2,001–10,000 gallons
$2.50 per 1,000 gallons
10,001–15,000 gallons
$2.53 per 1,000 gallons
15,001–25,000 gallons
$2.55 per 1,000 gallons
25,001–50,000 gallons
$2.60 per 1,000 gallons
Over 50,000 gallons
$2.70 per 1,000 gallons
Commercial:
 
First 2,000 gallons minimum
$30.00
2,001–10,000 gallons
$2.50 per 1,000 gallons
10,001–15,000 gallons
$2.75 per 1,000 gallons
15,001–25,000 gallons
$2.90 per 1,000 gallons
25,001–50,000 gallons
$3.15 per 1,000 gallons
Over 50,000 gallons
$3.50 per 1,000 gallons
Industrial:
 
First 2,000 gallons minimum
$40.00
2,001–10,000 gallons
$2.50 per 1,000 gallons
10,001–15,000 gallons
$2.90 per 1,000 gallons
15,001–25,000 gallons
$3.15 per 1,000 gallons
25,001–50,000 gallons
$3.50 per 1,000 gallons
Over 50,000 gallons
$3.75 per 1,000 gallons
(b) 
Outside the City Limits.
For water service outside the city limits, the rates are 1 and 1/2 times the above amounts.
(c) 
Bulk Water Sales.
(1) 
The unattended coin water vendor located in the 100 block of Euclid Avenue provides water at the rate of $0.50 per 100 gallons.
(2) 
Fire hydrants are provided for the purpose of extinguishing fires and shall only be opened by the water and fire departments, or by such persons as may be authorized by the city manager. All persons wishing to purchase bulk water from a fire hydrant must contact the city manager, in person, and in advance of the of the date the water is to be purchased. All persons will be required to pay a $1,200.00 deposit which $50.00 of that will be nonrefundable for installation of the water meter for their water supply. Water shall then be sold at a rate of $5.00 per 1,000 gallons. The public works director or his designee shall make all meter readings. Any person who owes a delinquent obligation to the city shall not be allowed to purchase water as specified above until said obligation is paid in full.
(d) 
Exceptions.
(1) 
The Panhandle-Carson county airport is considered to be within the city limits for the purpose of calculating water rates.
(2) 
If a meter is in current use on a fire hydrant, then the $50.00 fee for the installation of one will not be necessary if the current location is the approved location (by the city manager) for the point of sale. The $50.00 deposit and $10.00 administrative fee will still be required as provided for in section 13.109 and section 13.118.
(Ordinance 508 adopted 8/26/04; Ordinance 541, sec. I, adopted 10/9/08; Ordinance 576, sec. I, adopted 9/11/14; Ordinance 621 adopted 2/8/2024)
(a) 
Inside the City Limits.
Residential minimum
$10.27
Additional if over the minimum
$20.00
Mercantile minimum
$11.57
Additional if over the minimum
$20.00
Service stations, wash racks, equipment repair, garages, cafes laundries and schools minimum
$11.57
Additional if over the minimum
$20.00
Multiple units on single bill
$31.57
(b) 
Outside the City Limits.
1-1/2 times the rates for all sewer service outside the city limits.
(c) 
Sewage Dump Rate.
The following rate will be charged based on the number of gallons dumped:
Gallons
Charge
240 or less
$20.00
241 to 1,000
$25.00
1,001 to 2,500
$35.00
2,500 and up
$45.00
(Ordinance 522, sec. I, adopted 3/23/06; Ordinance 576, sec. III, adopted 9/11/14)
(a) 
All water meter taps regardless of size will be assessed according to the cost of materials plus labor, which is assessed by the 1/4 hour increment times the number of utility techs needed to perform the job based on review by the director of public works.
(b) 
For taps made outside the city limits, the charge is 1-1/2 times the above rate in subsection (a).
(c) 
If additional water lines are needed to provide service to either inside the city limits or outside the city limits in the ETJ, the consumer seeking the service from the city pay for 100% of the cost of installation and materials of said lines. All materials used in the additional water line must be approved by the city manager or his designee and installed by a licensed plumber of the state. The city manager or his designee will determine the line size, specifications and the location of the connection that the new line will join the city water main. A final inspection of the additional water line (between the meter and the city main connection) will be performed by the public works director before the line is buried and only qualified city personnel will perform the actual tap to the water main.
(d) 
All water taps, backflow prevention devices, and water meters shall be installed and provided by the city and its personnel and no other person or entity has this authority under any condition to provide these key components or workmanship.
(Ordinance 508 adopted 8/26/04; Ordinance 549, sec. IV, adopted 10/8/09)
(a) 
For any sewer taps to be installed on the sewer main there shall be a fee to be determined as follows:
(1) 
Tie into city sewer main covered by dirt or caliche: $250.00.
(2) 
Tie into city sewer main covered by asphalt chips: $350.00.
(3) 
Tie into city sewer main covered by seal coat or asphalt: $500.00.
(4) 
Tie into city sewer main covered by brick: $550.00.
(5) 
City performed street/alley cuts (equipment and personnel): $100.00.
(6) 
The cost for any type of surface not listed above will be determined by the cost associated with the respective surface to be repaired and shall be assessed to the customer.
(b) 
All sewer taps shall be installed by plumbers licensed by the state and shall be inspected and approved by the public works director before the line can be buried. The city and its personnel shall bury the tap and repair the street or area in accordance with the necessary standards to maintain the previous appearance and functionality of the surface.
(c) 
All sewer taps will be a minimum of 4 inch in diameter and the thickness of pipe adequate for the application as determined by the public works director.
(d) 
If a water tap is to be installed under a surface other than dirt, the above charges listed in subsection (a) above will be added to the installation cost listed in section 13.103(a) of this article.
(Ordinance 530, sec. V, adopted 9/13/07)
The deposit for water and sewer services to be paid to the city shall be $150.00. The city shall hold the deposit as long as the customer receives service from the city. Upon discontinuation of service, the final bill shall be deducted from the deposit or any remaining deposit, if any, or the final bill shall be mailed to the customer. Renters/tenants who are not the property owner must show proof of lease agreement. Any outstanding balances by any applicant must be paid before water is turned on. Only the person on the lease agreement may apply for water from the city. A credit check may be issued for anyone seeking water service before that service can be turned on, and the city may require varying utility deposits for customers as it seems appropriate in each case or who have multiple months of disconnects. The city manager has the authority to waive a required deposit as special circumstances as may be needed for various reasons.
(Ordinance 508 adopted 8/26/04; Ordinance 541, sec. I, adopted 10/9/08; Ordinance 604 adopted 3/12/2020; Ordinance 606 adopted 4/9/2020)
(a) 
The city utility billing date is the first day of each calendar month. All bills are due and payable when the customer uses the service, although payment is not expected until billed. All bills are considered delinquent if not paid, in full, on or before 5:00 p.m. on the fifteenth day of each calendar month. If the fifteenth day of the calendar month falls on a weekend or city holiday, payment, in full, must be made on or before 5:00 p.m. on the next regular business day. No partial payments are accepted without approval, in writing, of the city manager.
(b) 
Upon failure to pay the bill before delinquency, the city shall send a second notice in writing by regular mail service to the customer stating that the service will be discontinued if the bill is not paid, in full, on or before 5:00 p.m. on the 25th day of the calendar month. If the 25th day of the calendar month falls on a weekend or city holiday, payment, in full, must be made on or before 5:00 p.m. on the next regular business day.
(Ordinance 522, sec. III, adopted 3/23/06)
Upon failure to comply with the rules and regulations established as a condition to the use of water, or failure to pay the rates or any charges imposed in the time and manner provided by this article on any and all services where the delinquent customer is being supplied with water, the water may be turned off and not turned on again until payment of the amount due, in full, is paid plus an additional $60.00 to cover the cost of turning the service off and on, if the service is turned on Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., other than a city holiday. If the service is turned on at any time other than stated above, the additional charge will be $45.00 and is due and payable before the reconnection of utility. However, special circumstances may require special provision and allowances. The city manager or his/her designee may consider the situation for the nonpayment and make special allowances, as necessary, contrary to this article.
(Ordinance 508 adopted 8/26/04; Ordinance 541, sec. I, adopted 10/9/08)
When a bill is considered delinquent as specified in Section 13.106 of this article, ten (10) percent of that portion of the bill, which is unpaid and delinquent, is added and becomes due and payable. This late fee shall not include the sales tax charged on the original bill in the sum that the 10 percent fee is calculated.
(Ordinance 522, sec. IV, adopted 3/23/06)
An administrative fee is charged to customers opening or transferring a city utility account in the amount of $20.00. This fee is established for each account (either combined or independent services of water, sewer and garbage) and the fee is non-refundable.
(Ordinance 508 adopted 8/26/04; Ordinance 541, sec. I, adopted 10/9/08)
As allowed by Texas Utilities Code Section 181.902, the city has the authority to prevent the waste, free or unauthorized use of water and sewer service. No citizen or entity shall waste or have free or unauthorized use of water or sewer service. If it is determined that a waste is occurring and/or free or unauthorized use is occurring the city shall turn off the water and/or stop the source of the sewer abuse to prevent further waste, free or unauthorized use. An investigation by the city manager or his designee shall be made and if waste or abuse has occurred, the city will take the necessary action to be compensated for the waste and free or unauthorized use of the water or sewer service.
(Ordinance 522, sec. V, adopted 3/23/06)
The city council ordains that extension of water service connections outside the municipal boundaries of the city shall be limited to the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city.
(Ordinance 415 adopted 7/22/93)
The city shall own and maintain the water line from the main to the curb box and the property owner shall own and maintain the service line from the curb box to the premises served. All meters, curb boxes, and fittings shall be the property of the city. All shut off valves are installed by the city for the use of the water department, and it shall be unlawful for any unauthorized person to tamper with or to turn off or turn on any water service between the water meter and the water main, or to turn off or turn on any water main valve of any description, except in case of emergency. Before operating any water service valve or water main valve, written permission must be obtained from the superintendent of the water department or his authorized representatives. For ordinary usage all consumers shall provide their own shut off valves.
(1993 Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article 1, Sec. 15-8)
If any person should turn water on or suffer or cause it to be turned on after it has been shut off at the curb valve by the water department, such person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punished as provided herein.
(1993 Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article 1, Sec. 15-11)
In addition to any other remedy provided herein for the enforcement and collection of any water rate, charge or account, all rates or other charges provided for in this article shall be charged against the owner thereof and shall be deemed delinquent at the same time and in the same manner as the next regular water bill and shall be a lien against the property where furnished, and if for any cause any sums owing therefore become delinquent, the water shall be shut off and in no case shall it be turned on to the same property until such delinquencies shall have been paid in full, and such property owner shall be responsible to the city in an action prosecuted in any court of competent jurisdiction for the amount of all such rates or other charges as may be due and unpaid, together with all penalties provided herein. No change of ownership or occupation shall in any way affect the application of the section.
(1993 Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article 1, Sec. 15-12)
The superintendent of the water department, or his duly authorized personnel, is hereby authorized to turn off and on water from mains and pipes of the city without notice. Consumers dependent on a continuous supply of water should provide emergency storage. When water is turned on for any consumer, the water department’s jurisdiction and responsibility ends at the water meter, and the city will in no case be liable for damages occasioned by water running from open or faulty plumbing fixtures or from broken or damaged pipes beyond the water department’s meter.
(1993 Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article 1, Sec. 15-13)
The superintendent of the water department shall have the right to restrict the use of water for sprinkling, wetting, irrigating, or construction purposes to such hours and for such time as he may deem advisable for the best interest of all concerned.
(1993 Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article 1, Sec. 15-14)
Editor’s note–Former section 13.117, pertaining to fire hydrants; use and sale of bulk water and deriving from 1993 Code, Chapter 15, Article 1, Section 15-15, was deleted at the request of the city.
Effective September 20, 1987, the city establishes an administrative fee to be charged to customers opening or transferring city utility accounts. City utility accounts include those for water service, sewer service and/or garbage service. The non-refundable fee is hereby established at $5.00 per account opening or transfer.
(1993 Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article 1, Sec. 15-16)
The transporter shall be required to provide the director of public works or his designee with a signed manifest approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for each load of liquid waste delivered into the city wastewater system.
(Ordinance 522, sec. II, adopted 3/23/06)
Any person, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions of this article, upon conviction or on a plea of guilty in the municipal court of the city, shall be fined any sum of money not exceeding the limit for a misdemeanor offense, which is currently five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(Ordinance 522, sec. VI, adopted 3/23/06)