Bosque Farms delays utility fee hikes after residents object to proposal

Bosque Farms residents forced the village council to slow down a plan that would have raised water and sewer charges from about $75 to $100 a month, a $25 increase.

At the June 17 council meeting at 1455 West Bosque Loop, the most contentious item was a notice of intent to amend ordinance sections tied to utility rates. The same agenda also included new administrative fee schedules for zoning, subdivisions and building permits, changes that would have affected homeowners, builders and property owners beyond the monthly water bill. Residents objected, and councilors tabled the three fee items and pushed them to the July 15 meeting.

One agenda item would have raised related revenue from $2,000 in the current budget to $120,000 in FY27, while another zoning-related fee item would have climbed from $350 to $8,000 in FY27. Village Clerk/Administrator Erica Martinez warned the council that delaying action would complicate the FY2027 budget submission because the revenue had already been built into the village’s numbers.

The proposal left residents unclear whether the charges were meant to be flat-rate increases or usage-based fees.

Bosque Farms already lists a minimum sewer use fee of $34.58 a month for usage under 5,000 gallons, a standard 3/4-inch water connection fee of $1,000 and a $25 refundable meter deposit. The village was incorporated in 1974 and housing and commercial development are its primary source of revenue.

In March, Bosque Farms received $10 million in state capital-outlay money for wastewater treatment plant improvements, including clarifier upgrades and sludge processor construction, after earlier federal funding for the project was recalled. Mayor Chris Gillespie had called the plant work the village’s top priority and "shovel ready." A 2025 village workshop document also listed roughly $460,000 available for arsenic funding and discussed booster-pump and VFD needs for Well 1.