For Immediate Release – October 6, 2008

AUSTIN - The Austin Water Utility (AWU) has completed a study to help determine how future water and wastewater rates will be established. The public is invited to attend the last meeting of the Cost of Service Study's Public Involvement Committee (PIC) at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 9th in room 105 of the Waller Creek Center, 625 East 10th Street. This last meeting of the PIC will be to review the AWU executive teams approach and final recommendations on the cost of service methodologies.

Monthly PIC meetings provided an opportunity for public involvement and consensus-building as the study developed methods for determining water and wastewater rates for residential, multi-family, commercial industrial and wholesale classes of consumers. Each customer class was represented by two citizen/ratepayer members of the PIC who are appointed by the Austin City Council as well as neighborhood and commercial groups.

The PIC held bi-monthly meetings to review various issues related to categories of water and wastewater service to determine how to equitably distribute costs of providing service among AWU customers.

Please visit our website at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/costofservice.htm for more information on the Cost of Service Study.

Media Contact:
Kevin Buchman
Email to: Kevin.Buchman@ci.austin.tx.us
City of Austin Water Utility
(512) 972-0151; pgr.(512) 802-8959