Bullard City Hall is pictured. (City of Bullard/Contributed Photo)

From Staff Reports

The City of Bullard will increase its water and wastewater rates in February, officials said in a letter sent to utility customers Thursday.

In the letter, which was also published to the city’s Facebook page, City Manager Pam Frederick and Mayor Shirley Coe said it is the city’s goal to provide excellent service to its residents. That is achieved through the city’s utility department and funded by the utility fund in the budget, which is an enterprise fund — or a fund that needs to support its expenses with its own revenue.

The increase, which will become effective in February, is due to increasing expenses and the high demand in providing quality water and treated wastewater to and from residents and businesses.

The change will be reflected in the March billing cycle.

“This change was a process and was not taken lightly by city staff or council,” Coe and Frederick said in the letter. “The topic has been discussed in detail over the last few years as residential water and sewer rates have not been adjusted since 2018. A recent survey confirmed that Bullard water rates are similar to or in some cases lower than other cities our size.”

The city contracted with a technical assistant consultant to do a rate study for its systems. Coe and Frederick said all aspects of the water system were examined in detail for cost associated with providing water from wells to meters. The data was then put into an equation showing the true expense per connection.

“This also showed us what revenue was needed per connection to maintain the City of Bullard’s water system each month and build the proper reserve for the future,” the letter states.

A Citizen Advisory Committee, made up of Bullard residents and business owners, was formed to receive and review the information in the rate study done by the consultant. The committee along with the Frederick, the City Engineer, Utility Director, Finance Director and Public Relations Director dedicated their time to discuss where the rates should be and how they should be structured in order for the utility fund to support the needed maintenance and daily operations.

“This committee came to a consensus on a rate structure that was then recommended to the city council for their action,” the letter states.

Councilmembers voted unanimously to set the new rates allowing the utility fund to progress further toward the goal to operate within itself and build the necessary reserve for the maintenance and replacement of facilities (water mains, pumps, overhead storage, etc.) in the future.

“No one ever wants to pay more for anything unless they see value in return. The City of Bullard Staff, Mayor and City Council believe this is a major step to enhancing value to Bullard, its residents and businesses,” the letter concludes.