White Bluff Rate Payers

1/20/2020

The Final Order

Yes, it has finally arrived, the day we have all been patiently waiting for, and perhaps some of us like myself, impatiently for over four years. The Water/Sewer Rate Case Final Order has been issued as of December 12, 2019.

We have hesitated to announce this publicly only because there was no date-certain in the 71 page Final Order as to when the new rate schedule would take effect. The WBRG Committee is announcing it now because our attorneys have notified us that Double Diamond Utilities has stated that the new rate structure has been implemented for the January 2020 billing cycle.

Your Base Rate for a Water connection will be reduced from the current $31.00 to $17.19 per month. The Sewer Base Rate will be reduced from $41.00 to $19.69. This does not include the refunds that are owed to all White Bluff Ratepayers in a total amount estimated to be between $500,000 and $600,000. The schedules for refunds are due to be announced by Double Diamond Utilities within the next two weeks. By law DDU has the same amount of time to repay the overcharges as it took them to collect them. The look-back date is February 2018. That would indicate these refunds would be paid back over the next two years.

Let us all celebrate for the moment and hope that the new buyer of Double Diamond Utilities, Midway Water Utilities, will be much more pragmatic in their approach to doing business in our community. Also, a great deal of thanks is owed to those who so graciously contributed thousands and thousands of dollars to this monumental effort. If it weren’t for you this outcome would not have been remotely possible.

2017-2019

Currently Double Diamond Utilities is applying for a nearly 40% rate increase in both water and sewer rates for White Bluff with the Texas PUC. The White Bluff Rate Payers (WBRP) is contesting this increase as unnecessary since there has been no discernible expenditure to improve infrastructure.

This effort does come without expense that in the past has always been paid for by the Rate Payers. We were very successful in the last campaign in 2010 and fully expect to be again this time.

The WBPOA has been gracious enough to match dollar for dollar the direct donations of the Rate Payers up to $25,000 and more for 2017. The WBPOA has also renewed that commitment for 2018. Our current donations average $100 and if you are a Rate Payer you have already saved that much through our efforts in postponing the implementation of the rate increase. Your savings will continue through February or perhaps March of 2018. By then we hope to have this case settled. Please help us out by donating another $100 in 2018 or whatever you feel you can donate.

Note that donations to the White Bluff Rate Payers fund are NOT tax-deductible.

WBRP Committee Members

John Bass
Scott Shelton
Marshall Snyder (Treasurer)

Help Support WBRP

As of January 1, 2018, the WBRP is asking all property owners to donate another $100 to the fund. Any and all donation amounts are welcome, though, whether they are more than $100 or less than $100.

In Person

Make your check payable to "White Bluff Rate Payers" or "WBRP" and drop it off at the POA Office located at 5528 FM 933, just south of White Bluff.

Snail Mail

Make your check payable to "White Bluff Rate Payers" or "WBRP" and mail it to

White Bluff Rate Payers
P.O. Box 37
Whitney, TX 76692

Online

Use your Credit Card or your PayPal account to donate online. Clicking on the Donate button below will take you to the PayPal website where you can pay securely with your credit card even if you do not have a PayPal account.