Coppell's Water and Sewer Fund is the second largest fund in the City's budget.
Enterprise Fund
The Water and Sewer Fund is classified as an Enterprise Fund because the cost of providing services is funded through user charges. In this instance, the money collected from residents and businesses in the form of utility payments is used to pay the rates charged by Trinity River Authority (TRA) for wastewater treatment service and Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) for water purchased by Coppell. A portion of the revenue from utility payments is also used for the maintenance and upkeep of the City's water and wastewater system. This fund receives no monies from property or sales taxes.
The City of Coppell uses water meter reads to generate the utility bills. Then, the revenue from utility bills is used to buy water from DWU, to pay TRA to treat wastewater, and do any necessary infrastructure maintenance. Almost all – 98% – of the money in the Water and Sewer Fund comes from water and sewer sales revenue. Interest income, water meter sales and water and sewer impact fees generate the remaining three percent.
Treating Water
Approximately 57% of the expenses incurred by the Water and Sewer Fund go to purchase water and treat wastewater. Personnel costs make up approximately nine percent of the expenditures, and the remainder of the cost is associated with maintenance of the water and sewer infrastructure.