Water and Wastewater Rate Ordinance Revision
Richland Hills
Summary
Wholesale costs from Fort Worth (water up 10.68%, sewer up 18% on the pass-through) are forcing a rate update. A typical household would pay about $6.95 more per month, and the utility fund runs dry by 2029 if rates stay flat. The city is also carrying a $2.7 million annual gap in infrastructure replacement funding.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 14, 2026.
Impact analysis
About $6.95 more per month on a typical residential utility bill; a fully funded replacement plan would add roughly $521 per year.
All water and sewer customers benefit from a system that stays financially solvent and doesn't surprise them with steeper hikes later.
Residents on fixed or low incomes feel the monthly increase the most, especially heavy summer water users.
Mentions & discussions (2)
City Council - Sep 14, 2026
Wholesale costs from Fort Worth (water up 10.68%, sewer up 18% on the pass-through) are forcing a rate update. A typical household would pay about $6.95 more per month, and the utility fund runs dry by 2029 if rates stay flat. The city is also carrying a $2.7 million annual gap in infrastructure replacement funding.
City Council - Mar 9, 2026
The rate ordinance passed in February has drafting errors — including charging per gallon instead of per thousand gallons — so it's coming back for repeal and replacement. Council also wants a pass-through charge shown separately on bills and more of the wastewater cost shifted to volume instead of the fixed base charge that hits fixed-income households hardest.
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
The weekly brief for Richland Hills
What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.
Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.