The City Council got an earful Wednesday about proposed water and sewer rate increases over the next two years, with some members questioning whether the city’s water utility has done enough to cut costs.

San Antonio Water System officials briefed the council on its proposed rate boosts of 5.8 percent in 2018 and 4.7 percent in 2019.

That would raise the average customer’s monthly bill by $3.45 and $3.08, respectively.

Since 2011, the average user’s SAWS bill has gone from $44.40 to $62.24 now. That’s based on 7,092 gallons of water consumed a month, SAWS reports.

Upgrades to SAWS’ water delivery and sewer system are driving most of the 2018 rate increase, SAWS officials said.

The utility is planning to spend $188 million next year on its sewer system, under a 10-year consent agreement with federal regulators to reduce sewage spills into local creeks and rivers.

That work is necessary because SAWS kept rates relatively low and put off maintenance on its sewer systems from the 1990s through the early 2000s, Chief Operating Officer Steve Clouse said.

“In hindsight, we were really deferring renewals of our system,” he told council members.

The increase also will go toward improvements to pipes and pumps that deliver potable water, including seven projects on the West and Northwest sides expected to cost $47.8 million.

SAWS has raised rates substantially every year since at least 2011, with the biggest increase, 12.4 percent, proposed for 2020, when it begins buying relatively more expensive water from the 142-mile Vista Ridge pipeline now under construction.

Because it is a city-owned utility, the council has the final say on all SAWS rates and is expected to vote on them in November.

Whether they will accept SAWS’ proposal is unclear. District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry said he can’t support any rate increase, and District 8 Councilman Greg Brockhouse said he wants it to be as low as possible, focusing on the must-dos like fixing the sewer system.

“For me to support any kind of rate increase, I would need to get down into the weeds,” Perry said.

A portion of SAWS’ revenues go to city coffers every year. After hearing later that the rate increase would boost city revenues by more than $709,000 next fiscal year, Perry suggested the city forego the extra money from SAWS and subtract that from the rate increase.

“Have you scrubbed that budget 100 percent?” Brockhouse asked SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente, questioning Puente about operations and maintenance expenses like travel, conference fees and uniform allowances. Puente said he personally approves all travel requests.

“I am really sick and tired with the amount of money coming out of taxpayers’ pockets,” Brockhouse said later, referring to a host of local taxes and fees that have increased over the years.

Other councilmembers said that deferring rate increases now will merely shift the problem to future city councils who might face higher costs.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who spoke highly of SAWS’ 2018 budget as being focused on infrastructure, said reluctance to raise rates is what left SAWS with the backlog of sewer maintenance.

“The consent decree is not just a reason to invest but a lesson in what happens if we don’t invest,” he said.

District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño and District 4 Councilman Rey Saldaña asked for updates on how SAWS has expanded its affordability programs for low-income residents hit hardest by rate increases.

SAWS’ affordability program offers discounts of $3.73 to $21.40 per month, depending on household income level.

Over the past two years, the utility’s leaders and staff have been attending meetings in council districts and going on block-walking campaigns to enroll more residents, Puente said. That has led to a 50 percent rise in enrollement, according to SAWS.

A SAWS-affiliated nonprofit called Project Agua can also offer residents beset with financial difficulties help with their water bills, provided they meet certain criteria.

Saldaña, who has served on council since 2011, said he has in the past combed through SAWS’ budgets looking for major cost reductions and had not been able to find a way to avoid a rate hike.

District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran also spoke about the disproportionate share of wastewater plants and large sewer lines on the South Side, where the city historically placed sewage plants to take advantage of Bexar County’s north-to-south downhill slope.

“We on the South Side have been living with the city’s excrement,” she said, adding that she would like to see more creativity from SAWS about managing its wastewater before supporting the rate increase.

Puente promised to work with Viagran’s office on sewage issues, saying, “There’s a lot of opportunities to be creative and innovative.”

SAWS will hold a public briefing on the increases at its 2800 U.S. 281 North headquarters at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24, with video from the meeting streamed at saws.org/rates and at facebook.com/MySAWS. The utility will hold another video briefing on Facebook at 10 a.m. Nov. 1.

The SAWS board is expected to vote on the increase Nov. 7, with City Council voting on Nov. 9.

bgibbons@express-news.net