The City Council just passed the first readings of proposed rate hikes. The same increases will have to pass another round of votes at a council meeting next month before they take effect. The council voted 6-3 to increase both water and sewer fees by 5 percent and franchise fees on the municipal services bill by 2 percent.

Council member Beth Van Duyne and Tom Spink are more often than not the only two people on the losing end of council votes. Van Duyne must have been surprised at how tonight’s votes went. When Mayor Herbert Gears read the outcome as 6-3, Van Duyne swung her head around to the large screen that displays how each member voted.

Joining Van Duyne and Spink in voting against the rate increases was Gears himself. The mayor last year took the proposed rate increases off the agenda. They are back again after City Manager Tommy Gonzalez repeatedly tried to get council members to see that the money is needed to maintain the city’s aging water and sewer lines.

These are the City Council members voting to raise fees in Irving!!

Allen Meagher ccouncil@cityofirving.org Phone: (972) 313-0808
Lewis Patrick lpatrick@cityofirving.org Phone: (972) 790-6478.
Rose Cannaday rcannaday@cityofirving.org Phone: (972) 871-0019
Rick Stopfer ccouncil@cityofirving.org Phone: (214) 876-7172
Sam Smith ccouncil@cityofirving.org Phone: (972) 253-8202
Joe Phillip jphilipp@cityofirving.org Phone: (972) 650-8382

See DallasNews article here.