The San Antonio City Council voted 8-3 on Thursday, Oct. 8, to approve an amended rate increase for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), KSAT 12 reported. Council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (District 2), Marc Whyte (District 10) and Misty Spears (District 9) voted no. The increases begin in January 2027 and, depending on the final two years, add up to between 23.7% and 29.1% by 2030.
Under the approved schedule, rates rise 6.9% in 2027 and 6.5% in 2028. The 2029 increase will fall between 4.5% and 6.8%, and the 2030 increase between 4% and 6.2%. The average SAWS bill today is $56.58 a month. KSAT reported that it would rise by $3.91 to $60.59 in January 2027 and by another $3.94 to $64.53 in 2028. By 2029 it could reach $68.92, and by 2030 as much as $73.19 — up to $16.51 more per month than customers pay now. Each individual increase adds roughly $2.70 to $4.39 to the average bill.
Supporters say the money is needed for infrastructure. The increases fund a multibillion-dollar program to replace aging water and sewer pipes, modernize treatment plants, install emergency backup power and make other system upgrades. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones supported the hike. “These are infrastructure projects that we need to do in our community,” she said, adding, “We need the infrastructure to support safe drinking water.” Ortiz Jones was the lone vote against the amendment that lowered the maximum increase, according to the report.
The version approved Thursday is slightly lower than the original proposal. Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (District 7), who proposed the amendment, called it a “win-win” for residents and the utility, saying she secured “the investment SAWS needs to complete critical infrastructure projects” while demanding greater efficiency. The amendment lowers the upper range of the 2029 and 2030 increases and saves the average customer up to 42 cents a month compared with the original plan. SAWS officials said the change would delay even more work, on top of roughly $600 million in work already postponed after the council put off the original vote in June.
Why it matters to Texas readers. A utility bill is not a headline-grabbing expense, but for working families and retirees on fixed incomes, a nearly 30% rise over four years is real money. The council's own amendment, and the delayed work that came with it, shows the trade-off in plain view: lower bills now can mean deferred maintenance later. Faithful stewardship means paying for the systems that deliver clean water and also insisting on efficiency from the institution spending the money. The vote also gives San Antonio ratepayers a clear list of which council members voted which way, ahead of the city's future budget decisions.
Open question: the KSAT report did not name specific projects such as pipelines or new supply sources, and this outlet has not independently reviewed SAWS's capital plan.