At Tuesday’s  meeting of the Board of Directors, Brown County Water Improvement District, the most important item on the agenda was adopting a new budget and setting new pricing for water.

The budget for the next fiscal year, which begins September 1, is $4,550,150, an increase of 1.84% over the current budget.

The new pricing for water will be as follows:

Treated Water:  $2.1878 per thousand gallons, a decrease of 0.19% from the current rate

Un-treated Water:  $1.1814 per thousand gallons, an increase of 1.32%

Commercial/Industrial:  $1.0547 per thousand gallons, no change

These prices are wholesale rates, and do not directly affect the retail price charged to consumers of water.  The retail prices are set by the various cities and utility districts who purchase water from the Water District and re-sell it to the consumers.  Each of those entities will set their retail rates at a later date.

In other business:

*** The Board approved a request from Dean Clements to convert a 2-inch water connection to commercial use.

*** The Board declared as surplus a 1987 John Deere tractor and boom axe.  At a later date the John Deere unit will be listed for bids.

*** General Manager John Allen reported that Lake Brownwood is currently at 1422.34 feet, and that is 2.7 feet below full, representing 87.3% of capacity.  One year ago the lake was at 73.7% of capacity.  The statewide average is 77.1% of capacity.