City residents are noticing larger utility bills this month.
City residents’ monthly utility bills have risen around eight percent, or approximately $11.43 more on the base rate for residential water, sewer, and solid waste services.
What’s driving the increase?
A combination of things: the popularity of the brush removal service provided by White Trash Services, the real-time accuracy of the new water meters, and a small rate increase.
Last November, the Edna City Council voted to switch to WTS for brush removal after frustrations over inconsistent service by its previous contractor. Originally set up for Wednesday pickups by WTS, the service has gone over so well that it has expanded to three days a week.
Therein lies the part of the problem.
Prior to WTS, the brush removal was part of the city’s contract with Texas Disposal Services, which also serves as the trash service. When the city canceled the brush removal from the trash contract, it received $1.05 per resident back from TDS, which city staff expected to cover once-weekly brush removal by WTS through the end of the TDS trash contract.
But the unexpectedly large response and resulting extra pickup days have led to greater mileage and transfer station fees passed on to the city through the WTS contract, far exceeding the TDS refund.
“It’s been a great thing to keep our city clean,” City Finance Director Valerie Callaway said. “However, it has been quite a cost for the city to help keep it up. So therefore, on the solid waste, that was an increase on the bills.”
In addition, the change from the old water meters to the new ones has also affected water bills, Callaway said, because of the accuracy of the new meters.
“With our new computer program that has recently been implemented this past year and new meters installed throughout the city, this helps accurately track the water and sewer usage for each customer,” she said. “Previously, the sewer was an average on the bill, not the actual usage. That has also been updated in this month’s bill.”
That accuracy allows the city water department to account for everything flowing, rather than averaging months together, City Manager Gary Broz said, which had been the standard procedure for years.
“The city went from the December-January-February averaging to the actual usage,” Broz said. “However much water you use pays your water bill plus your sewer bill. It’s charged the same way.”
The overall rate increase is the first in two years, Callaway said.
In 2024-25, the city’s rate for collecting solid waste, trash, and rubbish from each individual family unit was $34.23. This year’s rate is $39.46, with an extra $6.40 for a second garbage cart.
The base water rate increased from $29.17 for 2,000 gallons to $31.50 for 2,000 gallons, and the base sewer rate increased from $28.31 for 2,000 gallons to $30.57 for 2,000 gallons.
For example, an average base level customer who received a bill in May for $93.45 ($29.17 water + $28.31 sewer + $33.23 garbage + $2.74 tax) now would receive a bill for $104.79 ($31.50 water + $30.57 sewer + $39.46 garbage + $3.26 tax), making it an $11.43 increase per month.
For questions regarding your utility bill, please call City Hall at (361) 782-3122.