1975-10-06 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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• PHONE ( 713 ) 471.5020 • P. O. Box 1 1 15 • LA PORT E, Texas 77571 • September 25, 1975 • The HonorablBoard of Directors Harris-Galvest n~Coastal Subsidence District P. 0. Box 58847 ~~ Houston, Texas 77058 Gentlemen The City Commission of the City of La Porte has authorized me, as City Attorney, to file this letter with your Board, setting forth the position of the City of La Porte on the proposed per- mit fees to be collected from groundwater users within the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District. We ask that this letter be filed and considered with the other testimony at your hearing on this matter. At the outset, the City of La Porte wishes to state that the filing of these comments by it does not constitute an admission by the City of La Porte that the Harris- Galveston Coastal Subsidence District has the authority under HB 552, as written, to collect such permit fees. It is our belief that serious constitutional questions obtain, which ultimately must be decided by the Courts of this State. It is our understanding that it is the present plan of the Board to levy a permit fee of two cents (2~) per thousand gallons of water pumped from all wells within the District. It is the position of the City of La Porte that municipalities and other districts providing fresh water to the public from groundwater sources, for domestic use, should be entirely exempt from permit fees to your District. The City of La Porte feels that domestic use is a very "high" use of available ground water for absolutely essential public purposes. In most instances, water is available from no other source to such municipalities and districts. Secondly, inasmuch as it is proposed that the permit fees be levied on water as metered at the well, as opposed to water metered at the consumer's residence, it is felt that imposition of the permit fee would place an unduly heavy economic burden on the municipalities and water districts concerned. As