TYLER, Texas — Tyler residents are experiencing an increase in water bills due to the city's plan to adjust to growing demands for water services among businesses and neighborhoods.
Tyler Water Utilities is implementing a project where residents will now be charged for the total amount of water they use.
"Everybody's gonna pay the same rate per 1,000 gallons. There's no benefit given to those that use more water. You're gonna pay the same rate," said Keidric Trimble, city of Tyler chief financial officer.
Previously, the city would subsidize the first 2,000 gallons of each customer’s bill but that benefit is over. City officials said residents could see an increase in their water bill by up to $12. Trimble said this increase comes at a time when water systems across the nation are becoming very expensive to operate. He added they want to improve Tyler's sewer system and wastewater treatment.
"The whole goal is to have less sanitary sewer overflows and to get that sewer to the plant safely without overflows. So we can treat it and get it safely back in clean water safely back into our streams," Trimble said.
With these changes, the goal is to improve the taste and smell of the city's water. The city also hopes it will lead to more water conservation as well.
"We have a five-year phase that we're working on to get to a uniform volumetric rate. And basically, what that means is, it will no longer decline," Trimble said.
The city plans to spend $24.4 million on water and sewer improvement projects in the upcoming year.