30 Oct Beeville council signs off on three-year water and wastewater rate schedule, ends Tyler court software contract

The Beeville City Council approved water and wastewater rates for the next three fiscal years, ended its municipal court software contract with Tyler Technologies and received an update on a backup water supply project at a regular meeting Tuesday, according to the Beeville Bee-Picayune.

Utility rates: The council gave final approval to new water and wastewater rates that will rise each year through the 2028-29 fiscal year. For a typical residential customer inside the city, the fixed monthly charges for the two services combined start at about $81 this year and climb to about $92 by 2028-29, according to the ordinance. The vote on Ordinance No. 2479 was unanimous. Mayor Pro Tem Benny Puente said the increases are phased in gradually and described the effect on ratepayers as minimal.

Backup water supply: Beeville is close to having an emergency backup for its drinking water, which now comes entirely from a lake that fell to near-record lows during the drought. Engineers told the council that a system of emergency wells is about 90% built and that the city could switch to well water within 24 to 36 hours if its water plant stopped producing. A permanent reverse osmosis plant is set to begin construction early next year, and the city has applied for a $21 million state grant that would require no local match. The council also approved two Kiewit change orders totaling $22,928.59, according to the agenda packet.

Court software: The council voted unanimously to end municipal court services with Tyler Technologies effective Nov. 30, as the city moves court records to i3 Verticals. Assistant City Manager Gabriela Hernandez said the city is removing only the court services from its Tyler agreement, which covers three departments, and that staff must extract the data and move it over. Officials said the move carries no penalty.

Public comment: A resident said an ambulance took 34 to 35 minutes to reach his home during a recent medical emergency and said he would take legal action if long waits continue. City Manager Andy Joslin said emergency medical transport in Beeville is provided by an outside contractor, and that the city will contact the service’s owners to look into the incident and review performance standards under its agreement.