SAN ANTONIO – A slim majority of San Antonio’s City Council voted to delay a decision on increasing water rates until October after several members aired various concerns with the city-owned San Antonio Water System.
Council members had been expected to vote on a series of rate increases that would raise an average residential customer’s monthly bill by roughly $15 to $17 by 2029.
The utility has been seeking to raise additional revenue, in large part, to support billions of dollars’ worth of capital expenses, including upgrading wastewater treatment plants, replacing pipes and installing backup generators.
However, the council voted 6-5 to push consideration of a rate increase until October.
Sukh Kaur (D1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Edward Mungia (D4), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10) voted in favor of the delay after several council members expressed a lack of trust or confidence in the utility.
After citing what he said were issues with SAWS on leaks, the development community, disconnections, “battles with council,” and “lack of accountability on joint projects,” Whyte said it felt the council was at a “crossroads.”
“It’s business as usual or actually get the change from this utility that we need,” he said.
McKee-Rodriguez said when he had concerns about SAWS shutting off water for entire apartment complexes because of their owners’ late payments, he felt CEO Robert Puente’s response had been “snippy,” and that when there had been leak-related issues “it was always someone else’s fault.”
Though the East Side councilman said he believed Puente had “internalized” his feedback and the tone of his responses had changed, “a part of me feels that it’s all been in service to earning my vote for a rate increase.”
“Why is it now, when trust is wilted, that there are plans to improve?” he asked Puente. “Now all of our questions can be answered, and there’s a plan to address our issues. And it’s at this point when a rate increase is needed; it’s not at any other point over the past several years when concerns have been raised."
Puente said after the vote the utility had to gain council members’ trust and confidence.
“It’s always a struggle; it’s always a struggle to educate people on what we do. And these are our owners, these are the ones that decide on our rates. So I have to go back to each one, especially the ones that commented that way, and get their trust, and hopefully get to a point where they can vote ‘yes.’”
Some of the council members would be “no” votes no matter what, Puente told reporters.
Puente said the delay on a rate increase would push projects back and likely increase their cost. Each of the increases would need to be looked at again and probably adjusted, he said.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, a SAWS board member, was among the five who voted against delaying a decision, citing the utility’s Uplift assistance program as one of the reasons to move forward with the rate hike.
SAWS Vice President of Customer Experience and Strategic Initiatives Cecilia Velasquez previously said residents enrolled in Uplift would not be impacted by proposed rate increases.
“We are now, as a result of going to 150% of the federal poverty line, we’re going to be helping somebody — a mom and two kids — who was making $21.34 an hour. That’s who we’re helping: the most vulnerable," Jones said during Thursday’s meeting. “We should not delay this.”
Watch Thursday’s city council delay vote in the video player below:
In texts exchanged with KSAT after the vote, current SAWS board member and former District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia blasted some council members’ treatment of Puente during the meeting
“That was a witch hunt. A public hanging,” Rocha Garcia texted KSAT. “Humiliating to the man.”
Rocha Garcia also said personnel issues are handled by “the governing body,” and “as he (Puente) alluded, we have been addressing issues with any concerns they’ve had about him.”
SAWS rates last went up in 2020, though the utility also restructured its rate system ahead of 2023, which did not affect its overall revenue. The restructuring resulted in many residential bills dropping, though there was an increase in commercial rates.
The initial and updated proposed increases for all customer classes can be seen below:
More related City Hall coverage on KSAT: