Call Westlake City Hall and a person will answer – and that’s rare today. That’s one of the changes Mayor Hal McMillin has made since he’s been in office, a welcome change to folks not fond of the automatic, pre-recorded, robotic messages that require a whole lot of button pushing before the appropriate party is reached.

“It’s so much better to speak to a person instead of an answering machine,” said McMillin at the Monday City Council meeting.

Later in the meeting, the mayor announced a not-so-popular subject. It is not a change in policy. It is an existing ordinance. Now it will be strictly enforced. Utilities will be disconnected when the bill is not paid.

McMillin said bills are due on the 17th, or in the case of a holiday, the 18th. If payment isn’t received, services will be disconnected ten days later. The reconnect fee is $50.

“Once the work order to disconnect goes to public works, it doesn’t matter if you catch them and tell them, ‘I am going to take care of that,’ your utilities will be disconnected. It’s not a Hal rule, it’s an ordinance. We are strict about paying utility bills, we’re not up here to finance utility bills or help people get to where they can pay them. The due date is the 17th. Ten days after that… I hate to be harsh but we have to be good stewards of the city’s money, make sure the cut offs are cut offs. Please pay your bills in time.”

In a conversation after the City Council meeting, McMillin also described the four percent utility increase, as based on the consumer price index – and already part of the city ordinances before McMillin took office –  as practicing good stewardship.

Westlake residents are billed for gas, water, sewer and trash pickup. City Clerk Andrea Mahfouz said not everyone has natural gas from the City. However, the minimum gas bill, at $19.61 will go to $20. A minimum bill for 2000 gallons of water was $32.08. It will go up to $33.37. Sewer is a flat rate and will go from $37.50 to $33.37. The median bill for a family of five is $144.04, and for a family of four, $113.23.

McMillin named a balanced budget with an eye on continuing to reduce debt as another responsibility of the administration in practicing good stewardship. In 2015, the City had a $12,500,000 deficit.

“It has been paid down to $3,600,000 and will be paid off in July 2026,” McMillin said. “We’re positioning ourselves to be better in the future, to be able to make major capital improvements.”

The Westlake Opportunity Zone District will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 17, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.  On the agenda is the levying and collection of a two percent sales and use tax upon the sale at retail, the use, the lease, or the consumption of tangible personal property and on sales and services in the district and two percent of hotel occupancy taxes within the boundaries of the Westlake Opportunity District (old downtown area) commencing Oct. 1, 2023.