BELL COUNTY, Texas — Belton neighbors report positive changes at Dog Ridge Water Supply after new president Heidi Curtis took over three months ago.
- New Leadership Impact: Heidi Curtis became president of Dog Ridge Water Supply Corporation three months ago, with neighbors reporting better communication, friendlier service and fewer water outages.
- Financial Oversight: The new leadership team is conducting a forensic audit of financial records to examine potential fraudulent activity from previous months and has applied for a Texas Department of Emergency Management grant to replace a broken generator.
- Rate Concerns: Customers paying an average of $85 monthly want lower rates around $60, but the previous board's $10 increase (from $45 to $55) implemented in July or August will likely remain to fund infrastructure needs.
- Mixed Reception: While some neighbors haven't noticed improvements in communication, others believe the changes are positive and that meaningful transformation takes time to fully implement.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Three months after Dog Ridge Water Supply Corporation welcomed new leadership, neighbors in Belton are reporting positive changes in service and communication.
Heidi Curtis stepped in as president of the water supply corporation three months ago, and many customers say they've noticed improvements since the leadership change.
"Leadership is better, they're friendlier towards us, less water outages," Gregory Smith said.
Another customer praised the new management's flexibility during financial difficulties.
"They actually helped me out because I was a little bit late on getting my pension due to the government shutdown, they didn't give me a late fee or anything like that," Patrick Morrow said.
Curtis outlined several initiatives the new leadership team has been working on since taking over.
The corporation is currently conducting a forensic audit to examine financial records, which could uncover any fraudulent activity from previous months. They've also applied for a grant from the Texas Department of Emergency Management to replace their current broken generator.
The leadership team is exploring updates to their billing software to provide itemized statements for customers. Curtis stated, "The new software will allow us to track which customers are run off of which pump station so we can get a better grasp on water loss and notifications specific to this customer,"
Leadership is also trying a free trial of a software system for electronic work orders, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reporting and pump station monitoring.
However, one change neighbors want to see is lower water rates. Some customers are paying an average of $85 per month and would prefer rates around $60.
Curtis explained that the previous board voted for a $10 rate increase in February, raising rates from $45 to $55, which went into effect in July or August. She said those rates will likely remain in place to help fund infrastructure improvements.
While some neighbors said off-camera that they haven't seen improvements in communication or updates, Morrow believes change takes time.
"It's not that much of a dramatic change but there is a little bit of a change, people have to stop being so critical, and just realize it's going to take time," Morrow said.
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