CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Some people who live in the Rockport area are not happy with the water and wastewater fees set by the city. It’s a problem that they first noticed about a year ago.
“The water for this little house here is higher than the electricity bill,” Rockport resident Andrew Kane said.
Kane has been fighting for fair rates. To help his mom and everyone else pay for water and wastewater.
“We know the city is growing, and we know costs are getting more expensive, but if there has to be increase, it has to be fair and equitable for all citizens,” Kane said.
It was in September of 2023 when the City of Rockport changed its fees.
Charging 10% more for water and 27% more for wastewater is affecting about 4,500 customers.
“We had 898 signatures, to be exact, and turned it in on Dec.4th. At the next city council meeting on Dec.13th, the city rescinded the rate increase for outside the city limits,” Kane said.
Rockport City Manager Vanessa Shrauner said their reason to get rid of the rate increase also has to do with the Public Utility Commission.
“We weren’t collecting a valid rate at that point, and we had to repeal the increase we passed in order to be compliant because we did not send proper notification. When we did that, we had to refund everything that had been collected under the new rate,” Shrauner said.
It cost the city approximately $130,000 to reimburse everyone through credit on their water bill.
“We had to refund in phases. It wasn’t something we could do all at once. Everyone should have their credits by now and be squared away,” Shrauner said.
For more information on the Rockport Water Rate Protest, click here.
