Shreveport water bill customers will not be happy with the latest news on the costs of the EPA consent decree , its total costs, and the staggered increases in water bills.
Burns & McDonnell briefed the city council today (Thurs.) on their progress as the consent decree manager after being hired this summer. The news was not good. In fact it was horrible.
The current rate structure for Shreveport water bills—with staggered increases — will not support the anticipated costs of $1.1 to $1.5 billion. Stated another way, future water bills will not pay the total costs of EPA compliance with upgraded water and sewer lines.
How much the total shortfall will be—and the total costs—are yet to be finalized. But the consent decree manager is certain that there will be a substantial shortfall with the current consent decree requirements and the scheduled water bill increases.
Shreveport mayor Adrian Perkins inherited this mess, which started off as a small financial storm and has grown into a full pledged tsunami. His first directive to city engineer Patrick Furlong was to find new leadership for the consent decree project.
Perkins had major concerns over the quality of the work, budget oversight, and planning. These issues had become apparent during the Tyler administration, but were ignored.
The new program manager Burns & McDonnell have reduced inefficiencies and redundancies, improved customer service, and enhanced the design process. Most importantly, they have provided the city with a better understanding of the requirements to satisfy the consent decree.
“I will leave no stone unturned. We will explore every avenue to minimize the effects on Shreveport citizens,” said Perkins. ‘”We are looking to renegotiate the consent decree, extending the deadline, and exploring other revenue streams apart from rate increases.”