Eagle Pass City Council Approves Water Capital Recovery Fees, Creates Public Relations Position, and Tackles Other Issues

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2018

The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a City Ordinance imposing a water impact fee to be known as a Water Capital Recovery Fee upon future real estate developments within the City limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction, the second reading of the 2018 City Water Conservation Plan, the second reading of the 2018 City Drought Contingency Plan, the second reading of the increase of the Water Subscription Fees, the third and final reading of a Budget Amendment Ordinance creating a new Public Relations Specialist position, the second reading of amending the Tax Abatement Ordinance, authorized the Acting City Manager andcontract for the Eagle Pass Public Safety Headquarters Guaranteed Maximum Price with the contractor of the project, and tackled other important City issues at their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 4, 2018.

The City Council unanimously approved the first reading of an Ordinance that imposes a water impact fee to be known as the Water Capital Recovery Fee on future real estate developments within the City limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction in the amount of $828 per living unit equivalent (per lot) as requested by the City of Eagle Pass Water Works and Sewer System.  The City does not currently charge for a water impact fee, but does charge a wastewater (sewer) impact fee of $526 per living unit equivalent (per lot). The idea is for the City Water Works to eliminate the $526 per lot City Wastewater Impact Fee and just charge one Water Impact Fee of $828 per lot to new real estate developments.  The real estate developers will just pass this extra fee increase to the consumer when they purchase a lot within a new real estate development within the City limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction.  The Water Impact Fee Ordinance has to be approved at two more public meetings before it becomes final.

The City Council also approved an Ordinance amending the City’s 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget to upgrade several job positions and create a new Public Relations Specialist position to handle the City’s public information with the news media and public.  In the previous City Council meeting, Councilmember Luis E. Sifuentes stated that he believed the Public Relations Specialist position was not needed at the moment, but rather the City had a greater need for hiring an Economic Development Director to assist the City Council, City Administration, and interested parties in developing new economic development and business opportunities in the community.  Councilmember Sifuentes’ suggestion to hire an Ecomonic Development Specialist or Director instead of a Public Relations Specialist fell on deaf ears of City Council.  Without support for his recommendation, Sifuentes folded and agreed to approve the Public Relations Specialist position.

The City Council also approved to authorize the City Administration and Legal Counsel to prepare two contracts with the contractor of the City’s Public Safety Headquarters project with one having a maximum guaranteed price for construction and completion of the long-delayed project by no later than July 2019.