74R5680 JJT-F
          By Pickett                                            H.B. No. 1824
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to rates for water supply or sewer services charged by the
    1-3  City of El Paso to residents of a certain area of El Paso County.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  (a)  Notwithstanding Section 16.349, Water Code,
    1-6  the City of El Paso, through the El Paso Water Utilities Public
    1-7  Service Board, may charge residents of the greater Canutillo
    1-8  service area described by Section 2 of this Act water supply or
    1-9  sewer service rates that exceed the rates paid by water supply or
   1-10  sewer service customers who are residents of the city of El Paso if
   1-11  the higher rates are necessary or appropriate to fully cover the
   1-12  cost of service to the area.
   1-13        (b)  The water supply or sewer service rates the City of El
   1-14  Paso charges residents of the greater Canutillo service area may
   1-15  include the amounts necessary to recover:
   1-16              (1)  the cost of operation and maintenance of the water
   1-17  supply and sewer service improvements serving the area; or
   1-18              (2)  debt service cost of loans accepted to improve the
   1-19  water supply or sewer service system serving the area.
   1-20        SECTION 2.  The greater Canutillo service area is that area
   1-21  in the northwestern portion of El Paso County being approximately
   1-22  14,207 acres of land and being generally bounded:
   1-23              (1)  on the north by the municipal boundaries of the
   1-24  City of Anthony, as established on the effective date of this Act;
    2-1              (2)  on the east by Interstate Highway 10;
    2-2              (3)  on the south by the municipal boundaries of the
    2-3  City of El Paso, as established on the effective date of this Act;
    2-4  and
    2-5              (4)  on the west by the state boundary shared with New
    2-6  Mexico.
    2-7        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-8  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-9  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-10  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-11  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-12  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-13  passage, and it is so enacted.
   2-14                       COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1
   2-15        Amend Section 1 of H.B. 1824 by Pickett as follows:
   2-16        At page 1, line 17, after the word "area;", delete the word
   2-17  "or" and add the word "and".
   2-18        At page 1, between lines 19 and 20, add a new subsection (c)
   2-19  to read as follows:
   2-20        (c)  Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of this Section,
   2-21  for a period of five years after the City of El Paso begins water
   2-22  supply or sewer service to the greater Canutillo service area, the
   2-23  City of El Paso may not charge residents of the service area a rate
   2-24  that exceeds 115 percent of the rate charged to the residents of
   2-25  the City of El Paso.
   2-26                                                                 Yost