June 24, 2025 - Following much discussion and careful consideration, the City of Joaquin City Council Members voted to approve an increase to the City’s Water, Sewer, and Gas Rates at the June 17, 2025, City Council Meeting.
The City Council is deeply committed to managing costs and maintaining operations while upholding its commitment to a sustainable future. As part of our ongoing commitment to providing reliable and sustainable services, we periodically review our rates to ensure they align with the cost of delivering utilities to your home and/or business.
As you are probably aware, prices for most utilities, supplies, products, and materials have continued to rise across the country. The same reigns true for the Water, Wastewater, and Gas Department’s operating expenses, including the parts and materials needed to keep our water system, gas system, and wastewater system running properly and efficiently, and meeting regulatory standards.
The Council’s decision to approve this increase was not easily decided. Numerous things were considered during the discussion, including information about the City’s eligibility to apply for various grants. For example, grant assistance is based on the number of people served by the water supply, the number of wells a groundwater supply operates, and/or the source water susceptibility determination, among other things. Applicants are ranked and qualification is determined by a points system where points are awarded for things such as total population, unemployment, average household income, percentage of population served, and water rates. The ability to secure grants such as this would help to ensure continued improvements such as replacing aging infrastructure and facilities, in turn, causing fewer service interruptions. Water rate increases have been relatively modest over the past years. Ensuring that those rate increases remain modest and justifiably necessary is an ongoing objective for City Council Members.
The rate increase that was approved on June 17, 2025, and will become effective on August 1, 2025, is as follows: The base or minimum monthly usage rate for water will increase $5, and the gas will increase $5. There will not be an increase in Wastewater at this time.
If you have questions about the rate increase, your water bill, or other utility questions, please contact the City of Joaquin Utility Department at 936-269-3021.
The notice is posted as required under Government Code Section 551.041. For more information or for a copy of the Open Meetings Act, please contact the Attorney General of Texas at 1-800-252-8011 or the City Secretary at 936-269-3021.
Posted by Cheryl Green on June 24, 2025 at 10:45am.
