HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 457 1
A Resolution '
WHEREAS, The City Council of the City of Fort Worth, Texas is an elected body
wholly representative of all the citizens of Fort Worth and is
dedicated to minimizing the cost of Government while at the same
time maximizing its effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of Fort Worth exercises direct control over rates
and charges to customers for water and sewer utility services; and
WHEREAS, The City. Council endeavors to insure that all such users and patrons
of water and sewer utility services in the City have available high
and consistent grades of utility service at the lowest possible rates
commensurate with the maintenance and perpetuation of such
service; and
WHEREAS, elected representatives, directly responsible to the citizens of Fort
Worth, have more incentive to minimize the cost of such utility
service and to keep maintenance costs at the lowest possible level
than would some appointed boards, commissions or bureaus in the
State Capital; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature has under its consideration at the present time two
bills, Senate Bill 354 and a companion Bill, House Bill 1068 which, if
passed in their entirety, would remove some of the controls rightly
exercised by the City Councils in Texas; and
WHEREAS, the City Council primarily approves of the majority of the 16
sections of these two aforementioned 'bills, but certain sections,
namely 3B, 3C, Section 22 and Section 49, are repugnant to the best
interests of the City of Fort Worth; and
WHEREAS, one section would require municipalities to obtain certificates of
convenience and necessity to provide any type of utility service,
including water and sewer, within city limits; and
WHEREAS, this section would throttle and restrict the City's abilities to do
intelligent long-term future planning and would conflict and present
possible constitutional challenges to statutory obligations to provide
municipal services and finally would burden quite unnecessarily the
VOW Public Utilities Commission; and
WHEREAS, other Sections 3B and 3C namely, would permit appeals from rates
set by municipalities for city-owned gas, electric, water and/or
sewer utilities which is an unconscionable erosion of local self-
determination and self-government; and
1 , ❑ RESOW- iON FILE NO.
Ln
CITY OF FORT WORTH
WHEREAS, another section of the Bill proposes to change the existing standard
of municipal rules, standards and regulation with respect to utilities
if such rules conflict with those of the Public Utility Commission
that the Public Utility Commission shall prevail which is yet another
usurpation of the City's inalienable rights; and
WHEREAS, these bills still being under consideration it is hoped that the
objectionable features described hereinbefore can be removed or
amended prior to action on the floor of the legislature when and if it
reaches that stage; and
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Fort
Worth urges the deletion from SB 354 and/or House Bill 1068 of Sections 3B and
3C, Section 22 and Section 49.
O
CUT OF FORT WORTS