Vendor Warned City of Click2Gov Problems 2 Months Ago

The City of San Angelo issued a statement on online water payments on August 17, 2018.  A followup press release on 8-20 stated:

Credit card information for water customers who made payments in person and automatically online may have been breached in addition to those who made individual payments online.

Another press release update 8-21 added:

“We know this breach has caused a great deal of inconvenience, and for that we are truly sorry,” Water Utilities Director Allison Strube said. “Since learning of this issue Friday, the City has worked diligently with our vendor to provide an additional layer of protection for our customers. We are continuing the process to learn how many customers might have been impacted and over what timeframe.” The City received a concern Friday that online water bill payments seemed to have led to illicit activity on customers’ credit card accounts.

The company reported security issues in October 2017.  On June 15, 2018 Superion gave an update on problems with its payment software system:

Upon learning of the activity, we proactively notified all Click2Gov customers. Additionally, Superion launched an investigation and engaged a forensic investigator to assess what happened and determine appropriate remediation steps.

Throughout our investigation with the third-party forensic team, we have kept in direct contact with every Click2Gov customer to assist in the resolution of this issue, informing them of our findings via email, phone calls, and one-on-one working sessions. We assisted many customers with analyzing their Click2Gov environment and provided them with best-practice guidance to assist them in securing their servers and networks.

Neighboring city Midland, Texas reported breaches with its payment system on June 27, 2018.

The city of Midland, Texas, on Monday reported a potential security breach of the utility billing online payment platform, administered by Superion. The city reports learning of the possible breach on Friday. Superion’s Click2Gov function is the payment server used to make online payments for utilities. The security breach, according to the city, affected users who made one-time, online payments between December 2017 and June 2018.  

San Angelo City officials are working to find the extent of the breach.   The time frame for the breach will be interesting to learn in light of this timeline.

Update 11-13-19:  The city is concerned it may have another breach of its water bill payment system.  It issued a press release today on the matter.

Update 11-14-19:  The Standard Times reported the city plans to switch water billing vendors.

Six Year Anniversary of MedHab Deal

Six years ago San Angelo's City Council inked an economic agreement deal with MedHab.  It can be canceled January 1, 2019.  That's three months and ten days away. 

San Angelo Solar Farm Fizzles Out

Four years after approving the initial lease for San Angelo's first solar farm the project is dead.  City Council will pronounce the deal after OE Renewables defaulted on their obligations and ignored the city's inquiries.  Former Mayor Dwain Morrison said this deal would "make the city a lot of money."  That hasn't and won't happen.

Update 8-20-18:  San Angelo Live reported on this development.

City Council Goes After More 1115 Waiver Federal Funding

December 4, 2012 was the last time staff presented information on the City's Medicare Section 1115 Waiver grant funding to City Council.  Staff could've given Council an update in today's meeting but the item started on the Consent agenda.  Any member of City Council could've pulled the item from Consent to Regular agenda.  None did.

The City currently holds $441,000 to $620,000 in excess federal funding.  That's 3.5 to 5.4 years of 1115 Waiver funding.  Both numbers come from city documents.  A public information request produced the $441,000 number while the City's Bluebook documents show a $620,000 surplus since grant inception.

City Council approved seeking more federal funding beginning with fiscal year 2017-2018.  Health Services comprise 0.31% of the City's operating budget for 2018-19.  That's minuscule.   An ethical city council would ensure a need exists to seek additional state/federal funding.  There was no discussion, just silence. 

Update 8-13-18:  The City is seeking another $500,000 in funding, even as it sits on excess federal/state funds of $441,000 to $620,000.  The application for more money does not require participants to expend current excess grant funds prior to receiving new Medicare 1115 Waiver funding. 

Update 3-27-26:  The City has $642,335 in 1115 Waiver funds as of a March 9, 2026 financial report.  It is only using these funds for rent.  City Council approved a new lease with Shannon Medical Center in February.  There was no mention of the 1115 Waiver funds as the facility lease was on the Consent Agenda and no Councilmember pulled it for discussion.in their last meeting on March 3rd.

City Wants More Federal Money for STD Clinic

As of 6-30-18 the City of San Angelo reported an unspent $411,491 Medicare Section 1115 Waiver grant funds out of an initial award of $960,000.  That $411,491 is enough to fund 100% of the STD clinic's expenses for 3.5 years.

The City's Bluebook documents reveal an even bigger surplus.  Out of $952,413 received the city spent just $331,657, leaving an excess of $620,756 as of 6-30-18.  That's 5.4 years of 100% federal funding of STD clinic operations.

City Council will consider staff's recommendation for more federal/state funding in their Tuesday meeting.  Staff has not presented any information to City Council on the grant since 12-4-2012.  As the item is on the consent agenda that may remain in place.

In March staff did not inform Council of this substantial surplus when it raised lab fees for patients to cover costs.  Federal money was intended to keep health care accessible and affordable for at risk populations. Staff and Council ignored the significant surplus in March and will likely do so again on Tuesday. 

Update 3-27-26:  The City has $642,335 in 1115 Waiver funds as of a March 9, 2026 financial report.  It is only using these funds for rent.  City Council approved a new lease with Shannon Medical Center in February.  There was no mention of the 1115 Waiver funds as the facility lease was on the Consent Agenda and no Councilmember pulled it for discussion.in their last meeting on March 3rd.

San Angelo's Water Supply Prediction

City staff provided projections for San Angelo's surface water supplies in response to a public information request. The high evaporation toll can be seen in how much (little) of Lake Nasworthy is left, a mere eight days. This does not seem realistic as Twin Buttes water will be pumped from its two pools into Lake Nasworthy, keeping its level up.

City Council held a substantive discussion on entering Drought Level 1 on Tuesday.  Most comments and questions were intended to help the public understand the need to cut water use while raising prices even more.

One City Council member derided citizens researching the water volume in area lakes by suggesting a significant amount of water is not accessible due to lakes reaching dead pool status.  The City proved its ability to get nearly all of Twin Buttes water via rented pumps at both the South and North Pools in 2012, 2013 and 2014.  City staff have no dead pool assumptions visible in their analysis.

During the 2012 drought Water Chief Will Wilde did not deduct evaporation in his calculations.  Roughly 23,000 acre feet will be lost to evaporation in the above projections.  That's 1.75 years of water gone into the atmosphere.

The projection shown above was not included in the City Council background packet or the slide presentation to Council on 7-17-18.  That's why I posted it for the public to view.

City Staff Recommend Applying Drought Level 1 Price Increase

San Angelo's City Council will entertain raising water rates 5%-20% and restricting water usage under Drought 1  restrictions enacted when the city reaches a 24 month supply of water. City Council's background packet does not reveal the method city staff used to calculate the 24 month supply.

Past presentations assumed no runoff rain for the period and apply a loss of five feet per year in evaporation.  Publicly available data shows the city's primary water source O. H. Ivie with over 83,000 acre feet.  The city shares this water supply with Midland and Abilene.

San Angelo's three local lakes contain over 36,000 acre feet as of 7-14-18.  Add our one third share of Ivie and current water supply is 64,000 acre feet.

The city uses 13,441 acre feet per year according to its website.  That is 4.76 years of surface water left, not including any water from the Hickory aquifer.

City Council raised water rates  the last three years.

2016 - Average increase of $5.88 per month
2017 - Average increase of $6.56 per month.
2018 -Average increase of $7.32 per month

A look out the horizon reveals two more rate increases planned for 2019 and 2020.  Combined they total $7.96 per month. 

The city changed its water supply forecasts under Ricky Dickson.  Former Water Chief Will Wilde did not apply the heavy evaporation load when forecasting months of water supply remaining.  As a result citizens pay increased water rates earlier than before.  

Here's how council's background packet predicts the "financial impact:"

Usage Fees will be assessed per City's Code of Ordinances.

Drought level one pricing is (from the city's website):

• Landscape: 1.1     10% increase
• Nonresidential: 1.05      5% increase
• Residential users: 
  • Usage from 0 to 2,000 gallons: none
  • Usage from 3,000 to 15,000 gallons: 1.05      5% increase
  • Usage from 16,000 to 39,000 gallons: 1.1      10% increase
  • Usage over 39,000 gallons: 1.2                       20% increase
• Fire hydrants and untreated water: none

Citizens need to begin reducing water usage to make the supply last longer but 5% to 20%  price increases are excessive on top of the 38.6% water rate hike imposed by council the last 31 months.

City Council has an obligation to ensure the 24 month remaining supply calculation is fair to all concerned and that citizens don't pay excessive water fees.  

Update 7-15-18:  The Standard Times ran a story on water rates increasing under Drought Level 1.. Also, I asked city staff for the methodology used to project remaining water supply and encouraged Mayor Gunter to have staff present their assumptions to City Council on 7-17.  That the public can be informed for a likely $100,000 community wide price increase for August under drought level one restrictions.

Update 7-16-18:  The May 21st Water Advisory Board heard a presentation from staff on the methodology the city uses to project remaining water supply.  Board member Chuck Brown commented that our three local lakes held 41,000 acre feet.  Add Lake Ivie and Brown said area lakes held 138,000 acre feet.  That is ten times the city's annual usage.

Update 7-17-18:  City Council unanimously passed placing the city under Drought Level 1 status as of August 1, 2018.  The city produced a slick video on Water restrictions but the actual City Council discussion/action was not available on the city's YouTube page around 7:00 pm.  At 9:00 pm I was able to access City Council's discussion of Drought Level 1.  It is worth the watch as the discussion was substantive from both staff and council..