The City Council’s natural resources committee is holding a special meeting Wednesday to discuss Mayor Jerry Sanders’ proposed water cuts strategy and potential alternatives.
The committee already discussed the issue once and sent the proposal to the full council for discussion. Then our series of stories ran detailing the misrepresentations that city Water Department officials have made about why they didn’t choose other strategies.
City Councilwoman Donna Frye said those revelations led to the meeting next week. The committee will discuss different approaches to citywide water conservation. The mayor’s plan bases cuts on residents’ historical use. Those who’ve used the most will still be allowed the most water, even if their use isn’t efficient.
Frye said she wanted to know, for example, whether the city could raise the floor for exemptions. Residents who use less than 4,488 gallons per month won’t be required to cut more under the mayor’s plan; Frye said she wanted to know whether that could be increased.
“I’m still having problems believing that it’s fair,” she said of the mayor’s plan. “I need a lot more information and a lot more discussion before I could ever support this.”
The meeting starts April 15 at 5:30 p.m. on City Hall’s 12th floor.