On November 1, 2014 the City of Mesquite implemented new tiered water and sewer rates for its water utility customers. Here are the reasons for the rate increase and tiered rate structure: The City's water is supplied by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD). NTMWD has increased their rates each year for the past several years. The City must pass along the NTMWD rate increases to customers in order to pay for the water and sewer operations. A rate increase was necessary for 2014 - 2015. Two rate types are available: flat rates and tiered rates. The tiered rate option was chosen by the City Council, as it has the least impact on residential customers. As an example, the average residential customer uses 7,000 gallons of water per month. The current rate for that consumption is $73.05. With a flat increase of 13% (the amount needed to cover the NTMWD increase), the new average bill amount would have been $82.55.The tiered rate for the average residential customer is $79.86, an increase of 9%.