The city will soon choose among three sites for a new wastewater plant in west Fort Worth. The plant is expected to cost $50 million to $60 million and will provide recycled water for irrigation and other uses.
Two potential sites are near Camp Bowie Boulevard and Loop 820, near Mary's Creek, a Water Department official said during Tuesday's meeting of the City Council infrastructure committee. A third site is near the former West Side landfill. The Camp Bowie sites would be the most economical, since they're the lowest in elevation and wastewater can flow via gravity. However, they're close to residential areas, which may lead to concerns from neighbors.
The site near the landfill is isolated from houses but would require wastewater to be pumped uphill from some areas.
The Water Department plans to hold meetings with neighbors before choosing a site.
Council wants to wait on tax increase
City Council members want to wait before deciding whether to impose a sales tax increase on telephone and utility bills, even if it goes to police protection.
A new law allows cities that collect a sales tax to pay for crime prevention to impose that tax on utility bills, which would amount to an increase of $3.60 per bill per year, officials said. The increase would have to be approved by the independent board that oversees Fort Worth's crime tax, known as the Crime Control and Prevention District.
But council members are sorting out questions about next year's budget, including spending cuts and any potential tax increases. They adopted a resolution asking the crime tax board to delay any decisions on the crime tax.
Police Department gets electric cart
The Police Department accepted an electric cart from the environmental group Streams & Valleys. The cart is small enough to travel the jogging trails along the Trinity River, which Streams & Valleys helped create.
Truck route approved for gas well site
Council members approved a truck route Tuesday for a gas well site next to Greenwood Cemetery. The council approved the drilling site last year, but the route required an additional vote because a survey determined that it would cut through a small portion of Rockwood Park.
Seven council members voted for the measure, with one abstaining and one absent.
Nearby residents in the Crestwood neighborhood have opposed the site because it brings truck traffic through the park and the surrounding neighborhood. Others spoke in favor of the route Tuesday, saying it would allow them to earn money from the drilling rights on their property.
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