- Why does the City need to raise water rates?
– Revenues are needed over the next three years to cover inflation and costs of the next phase of the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority project. - How do Round Rock’s rates compare to other cities in this area?
- Why are you lowering the tiers from 18,000 to 15,000 gallons?
– To better match the cost of providing the infrastructure, supply and operations for that is only used during a few weeks during the year.
– To continue to encourage wise use of water. - How will reducing the first tier to 15,000 gallons instead of 18,000 gallons impact me?
– Most customers only use more water during the hot summer months, for most of our customers that is the only time this change will impact their bills
– Even under the new 15,000 gallon tier, 65% of customers will not break into the second tier even during the hottest months. - How will year-round conservation rates affect most residential customers?
– From November to May 95% to 99% of our customers never go over the first tier, even at 15,000 gallons. That means only a very few will be impacted, the rest will see no change from the year-round tiered rates. - I run a small business that requires water year-round (restaurant, laundry, etc.), won’t that make my off-season costs go up?
– No, commercial customers now have a year-round constant rate.
– As a whole, commercial customers have only limited impact on summer peak usage. - But what about commercial users that do a lot of landscape irrigation?
– Most large commercial customers have separate irrigation meters and will pay different rates for irrigation uses.
– These irrigation customers still have a tiered rate structure that will now be year-round just like residential.