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