Denison residents will see another scheduled water and sewer rate increase on Dec. 1, and the City Council will consider an amendment to the rate ordinance that clarifies billing for properties with shared meters.
The amendment is placed on the consent agenda for the regular 6 p.m. City Council meeting at City Hall, 300 W. Main St., where routine items are approved without debate.
According to a staff report prepared by Finance Director Laurie Alsabbagh, the amendment rewrites the portion of the city code that governs apartments, strip centers and other multi‑unit properties that use a single water meter for more than one household or business.
Under the proposed wording, all water flowing through a shared meter would be assigned to the building closest to the meter. Each additional home or business attached to that meter would receive its own minimum base charge, and each of those base charges would include a 1,000‑gallon credit. The arrangement would remain in place until the individual units are metered separately.
The ordinance also adds definitions for “commercial user,” “industrial user,” “property,” and “residential living unit” to provide clearer, more consistent language for future billing.
City staff state that the amendment is intended to make billing clearer and more consistent, and that the changes are not expected to raise any resident’s bill. The rate tables themselves are unchanged.
The upcoming Dec. 1 increase follows the city’s five‑year water‑rate plan adopted to fund system improvements. That plan sets automatic rate adjustments each December 1 without requiring a separate council vote, and the current tables extend through a final column dated Dec. 1, 2026.
Because the amendment does not alter the rate amounts, most households will see the same dollar increase that was already scheduled for Dec. 1. Property owners with shared meters should expect the new billing structure to be applied after the amendment is approved.
The City Council will vote on the amendment during the Dec. 1 meeting. If approved, the revised language will become part of the city code, and the clarified billing method will take effect for applicable properties beginning with the next billing cycle. Residents with questions are encouraged to contact the Finance Department.
Sources: denisonweekly.news
