Mineral Wells · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Mineral Wells public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Willow Creek wastewater treatment plant blower replacement
The consent agenda carries a purchase order for up to $77,165.02 to replace an aeration blower at the Willow Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant — core sewer plant equipment.
Hilltop Water Treatment Plant design work
HDR presented a $117.9 million plan to rebuild the Hilltop Water Treatment Plant at 12 million gallons a day, expandable to 16, using safer sodium hypochlorite instead of chlorine gas. The mayor wants a council subcommittee to stay hands-on as design moves forward.
Water well sanitary control easement
The city granted Famous Water Company a protective easement around a new drinking water well, with a small future trade-off of about 5 feet of street width on a section of NW 2nd Avenue.
Millsap wholesale water agreement
The long-running renegotiation of the city's wholesale water contract with Millsap Water Supply still isn't finished, so the council bought 30 more days under existing terms. The deal affects the city's long-term water supply and costs.
Sewer rate increase of 6.31%
Sewer bills are going up for homes and businesses alike. The city says the NewGen rate study justifies the increase to align with the FY 2027 budget, and it adds $246,000 in commercial/industrial revenue.
Sewer rate increase, no water rate increase
Water rates stay flat next year, but sewer rates rise about 6.3% — about $2.58 more per month for a typical household. New debt payments for the Hilltop plant are a big driver of the water-sewer fund budget.
Water and Sewer Rates
Good news and bad news: no water rate increase, but sewer rates rise 6.3%. For the average household, that's only about $2.58 more per month — a 1.6% total bill increase.
Water system infrastructure investments
Through the consent agenda, the city committed $400,000 in engineering planning for the Hilltop Water Treatment Plant and Brazos Pump Station project, bought nearly $400,000 in water meters, and granted a water line easement to Famous Water Holdings.
Airport Airfield Drainage Improvements
The Garver study found 11 drainage problems at the airport, three of them critical. The worst — collapsed pipe flooding a taxiway at the north Runway 13 entrance — is estimated at $1 million and already slotted in TxDOT's fiscal 2027 funding plan.
Texas Water Development Board Grant and Master Water Plan
Council approved the state-required resolution to keep the Master Water Plan grant application moving — the city's half of the water funding puzzle, with the water district handling the RO project.