Highland Village Water Bills Rise $12.99 a Month Under Plan Council Votes on Saturday, Nov. 8

Your Highland Village water and wastewater bill is likely going up starting on your December or January statement. City Council votes to make it official on Saturday, Nov. 8.

FloMoBee covered the Oct. 27 discussion when it happened. Here's what the numbers look like now that council has picked a path.

What Option 2 actually does to your bill. The city's representative example runs a household at 12,000 gallons of water and 5,600 gallons of wastewater monthly — at those levels, the combined bill climbs from $137.03 to $150.02, a jump of $12.99, or 9.5%. Your actual bill will land somewhere different depending on your real usage, so dig out your most recent statement before Nov. 8 if you want a number that actually applies to you.

Over a year, $12.99 a month adds up to roughly $156.

Why the city needs the money. Staff flagged a $645,000 gap in the utility fund for fiscal year 2026-27 back in August. Two things are driving it: higher wholesale costs from the Upper Trinity Regional Water District, which sets the pass-through rate Highland Village pays for water and wastewater treatment, and rising maintenance expenses on aging local infrastructure. The rate structure has two layers — whatever the city pays UTRWD gets passed straight through to residents, and a separate city-side charge covers local pipes, wells, and pumps. Both layers are moving.

What the money pays for. Council also approved a notice of intent to issue up to $10.75 million in Certificates of Obligation to fund capital projects. The list includes water and sewer line replacements, new waterlines along Brooks Court and in the city's northwest section, reconstruction of the Lake Vista Well to boost capacity to one million gallons per day, replacement of the Copperas Branch Lift Station, and generator upgrades at other lift stations. Rate revenue services that debt.

The drainage fee is a separate conversation. Staff has proposed raising the drainage utility fee by 40 cents per 1,000 square feet of impervious cover — roof, driveway, sidewalk — moving the rate from $1.80 to $2.20. For the average Highland Village home, that works out to around $7.37 a month currently. Some council members have discussed phasing in smaller increases rather than taking one jump. That piece has not been resolved and may not be on the Nov. 8 agenda at all; a separate vote is possible.

What to do before Nov. 8. If you want to comment before the vote, check the agenda at highlandvillage.org for time and location. Under city ordinance, an approved rate change takes effect on the first regular billing date after the ordinance passes, so confirm your exact billing cycle on the city's website to know whether December or January is when the new rate hits your statement.