At the March 2025 City Council meeting, the City Council approved an update to the city’s water rate structure by eliminating the basic monthly service charge—commonly called the meter fee—for residential irrigation meters. This change comes after a series of discussions and a workshop focused on making the rate structure more equitable while preserving the financial sustainability of the city’s utility operations.

Currently, approximately 1,480 residential properties in Jersey Village have a single water meter, while another 750 properties have both a standard home meter and a separate irrigation meter. Under the prior structure, each meter carried a $15 monthly service charge, meaning residents with an irrigation meter paid $30 per month in basic monthly service charges.

After reviewing multiple options in a February workshop—including adjustments to usage rates and alternative fee structures—the City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance that would eliminate the irrigation meter fee and adjust the residential base rate to maintain revenue neutrality. The approved change eliminates the $15 charge for irrigation meters and increases the base fee for standard residential accounts by $5.05 per month.

This ordinance takes effect for water used starting in April and will appear on residents’ May utility bills. The update is designed to simplify billing for residents with irrigation systems while keeping the city’s water utility on solid financial ground.

For more information on utility billing or to review the new water rates, please visit the City’s Utility Billing page.