The District Board of Directors met on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 4:30 P.M.
The Board of Directors approved a resolution to amend the District Service Policy to increase wastewater rates effective July 24, 2023, pending a public hearing on June 20, 2023. The rate is required because of rapid inflation, increasing cost of services, and material-related expenses. JCSUD was assisted by NewGen Strategies & Solutions to perform a Wastewater Rate Study to analyze the effectiveness of wastewater revenues in covering wastewater operations and maintenance and annual capital expenses. The study revealed insufficient revenue to cover the necessary expenses needed to provide exceptional reliability and service to customers. The study also utilized a regional comparison of similar entities and wastewater providers to benchmark JCSUD’s current and proposed rates. NewGen recommended increasing the minimum charge, volumetric charge, and wastewater cap to generate additional revenue to cover wastewater expenses. JCSUD will continue to implement strategies to maximize the efficiency of resources to maintain rate stability. Notice of the rate increase will be included on all customer bills from May 24 through June 15.
The Board of Directors approved resolutions to authorize an application for financial assistance from X-Caliber Rural Capital, LLC, for a USDA-guaranteed loan and to authorize an application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the approval of water projects and the issuance of bonds to finance the projects. The District will seek to fund a 1-million-gallon ground storage tank located in the Godley area as part of the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan listed in the 2022 Water System Master Plan.
The Board of Directors ratified awarding the construction contract to Willco Underground for the TxDOT FM 917 “S” curve relocations project. Starting in June 2023, TxDOT will begin construction on the “S” curve on FM 917, approximately 1.5 miles west of Chisholm Trail Parkway. Because of the new alignment shift, TxDOT’s proposed right-of-way conflicts with JCSUD’s 24” transmission and 8” distribution lines. This relocation will be placed within a JCSUD-exclusive 30-foot easement and completed in two phases. The 8” portion of this project is scheduled to be completed by June of 2023, and the 24” transmission line relocation is scheduled to be completed by October 2023 after the period of increased demand during the summer months subsides. A bid opening for this project was held on April 4, 2023, and Willco Underground of Midlothian, Texas, was the low bidder with a total base bid of $499,192, bringing the total project cost to $580,823.50. JCSUD will fund the project upfront and utilize funds from the Capital Improvement Budget. Since most of these waterlines are within an existing JCSUD easement, the TxDOT project is eligible for 100% project cost reimbursement.
The Board of Directors recognized the following JCSUD employees with their Employee Appreciation Pins for their years of service with the District:
