When you’re driving into town, have you ever noticed the signs that say Coppell is a Superior Water City? Have you ever wondered what that means or how the City maintain this achievement? The “Superior” designation indicates that Coppell’s water system exceeds the minimum acceptable standards for operating the water system and for the quality of our water.
Coppell’s dedicated Public Works staff routinely goes above and beyond to ensure that the City continues to deliver high quality water and that infrastructure remains in tip-top shape. The Utility Billing staff excels at providing customer service and monitoring citywide water usage, and they routinely work with Utility Operations to help customers locate and address leaks. The City’s Water and Sewer Fund is used to account for utility revenues and expenditures to help make sure the water stays flowing!
The Coppell City Council will hold a Budget Workshop to discuss the Water and Sewer Fund and Special Revenue Funds at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20. The public is encouraged to get involved, attend, and provide feedback!
What is the Water & Sewer Enterprise Fund?
The Water and Sewer Fund is the second largest fund in the City’s budget, and it is classified as an Enterprise Fund because the cost of providing services is funded through user charges. In this instance, the money collected from residents and businesses in the form of utility payments is used to pay the Trinity River Authority (TRA) for wastewater treatment service and Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) for water purchased by Coppell.
The City uses readings from the advanced water meters that were installed citywide to generate utility bills. Then, the revenue from the bills is used to buy water from DWU, pay TRA to treat wastewater, and do any necessary infrastructure maintenance.
This fund receives no monies from property or sales taxes. Almost all – 98% – of the money in the Water and Sewer Fund comes from water and sewer sales revenue. Interest income, water meter sales and water and sewer impact fees generate the remaining two percent.
Approximately 57% of the expenses incurred by the Water and Sewer Fund go to purchase water and treat wastewater. Personnel costs make up approximately nine percent of the expenditures, and the remainder of the cost is associated with maintenance of the water and sewer infrastructure.
Learn more about the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund. Keep up to date with all things budget at coppelltx.gov/budget.
Have a question or comment? Let us know! Submit budget feedback to budgetinput@coppelltx.gov.