Mineral Wells Area News

By Amy Bearden

Mineral Wells Area News Publisher

It’s no secret that retail water customers in and around Mineral Wells, as well as area wholesale customers, are unhappy with the recent rate hikes.

Those complaints have now been taken to the Public Utilities Commission of Texas to be heard through an appeal process, and on January 2nd, in Executive Session, City Council voted to engage their attorney to manage the appeals.

On December 12th, Terri Glidewell, on behalf of the retail rate payers of the City of Mineral Wells, filed a petition to the PUC of Texas appealing the City of Mineral Wells’s water rates under Texas Water Code § 13.043. (The petition filing can be downloaded below.)

According to a City official and the PUCT website, there is not an appeal process for residents within the city limits, which is where Glidewell resides, but on December 21st, she filed supplemental information indicating she was speaking only on behalf of residents outside the City limits.

Glidewell’s supplemental statement to the PUC read, “Petition to Appeal Rates Established by the City Council for the public water system of the City of Mineral Wells, Texas. It’s being submitted by Rate Payer’s that receive service by the City of Mineral Wells water utility and reside outside the jurisdiction of the City of Mineral Wells, and as such are not afforded representation or voting rights in the election of the governing body that set the rate increases. I am the ratepayer’s representative and if you have questions, or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

While City residents cannot appeal water rates with the PUC, those living outside the City but still using City water can protest, and it takes just 10% of those total customers for an appeal to be filed. According to one MWAN source at the City, that is more or less, about 30 signatures.

*UPDATE* PUC filings by Glidewell on January 5th, show the number of retail customers living outside of the City to be 200 according to documents provided by City Clerk Sharon McFadden, leaving the required number of signature’s for an appeal at 20.

Glidewell presented 37 to the PUC, triggering the appeal.

The City of Mineral Wells had a deadline of January 5th to respond, but the PUC filed an extension January 4th, on behalf of their staff until January 10th after Glidewell presented additional information on December 21st.

PUC, the State’s water utility watch dog, was contacted not only by the City’s retail customers but also by some of their wholesale customers as well.

On December 27th, a joint-filing was made by Sturdivant Water Supply Corporation and Santo Special Utility District to protest the rate hikes through the appeal process of the PUC.

According to the PUC website, the filing by the two wholesalers reads: The City Council voted on September 12,2023, to increase its wholesale water rate from $7.79 per each 1,000 gallons to $19.17 per each 1,000 gallons, effective on invoices received from the City on/after November 1, 2023.The City’ s 146% increase in its water rate to Petitioners does not meet the “just and reasonable” standard set forth in Texas Water Code § 13.043(j).

The filing also states that Santo SUD did not receive an official notice of the rate increases from the City, however MWAN was told all seven of the City’s wholesale customers were sent official notices. In the filing Sturdivant WSC, who just signed a new contract with the new rates in August of 2023, presented their official notice.

The filing indicates that Santo SUD was originally contracted with the City of Mineral Wells in 2011. They have not signed the new contract presented to them by the City, which was announced after the Water Rate Study was presented to the Council by NewGen Stratagies in July of 2023.

The City Council voted in favor of the rate hikes and began billing the new rates this past November, which according to the public presentation, will help fund infrastructure, complete Turkey Peak Reservoir, and establish an adequate water supply for the area for years to come.

No deadlines or any other filings have been made under this appeal. (The wholesaler’s appeal to the PUC can be downloaded below.)

Mineral Wells Area News is in the process of reaching to the parties involved and will update as soon as we have more details. The City of Mineral Wells legal counsel is expected to send a Press Release soon.