Georgetown needs more funding sources to meet water demands. The City uses several tools to meet those needs to help spread the costs equitably and over time. These tools include water and wastewater impact fees, which go help cover Capital Improvement Project costs such as the Northlake expansion project. We worked with our consultants, CDM Smith and NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC, to evaluate whether these impact fees need to be increased, so that growth can continue to pay for itself.

On Feb. 14, 2023, Council approved increasing impact fees for a ¾-inch meter to $11,000 per living unit equivalent, or LUE, for water and a ¾-inch meter to $6,129 per LUE for wastewater. The new rates will go into effect Oct. 1, 2023.

What is an impact fee?

A water or wastewater impact fee is a charge or assessment imposed by a political subdivision against new development in order to generate revenue for funding or recouping the costs of capital improvements or facility expansions necessitated by and attributable to the new development. Impact fees could help address the need for increased water capacity that will serve the overall water and wastewater systems as Georgetown continues to grow. Find more information about the current Impact Fees here.

Any applicant who is pursuing a building permit for a new development in which additional use of water and wastewater services will be needed will be responsible for paying the impact fees. Public schools are exempt from this requirement.

About the Study:  Why are we increasing impact fees?

The City has grown very rapidly, and it is expected this trend will continue through the ten-year impact fee planning period. Water service units are expected to almost double the current system through the addition of approximately 60,900 new service units. Wastewater services are provided to a smaller service area and is expected to serve over 48,700 new wastewater service units. Given the City’s rapid growth, substantial capital investment will need to be made to provide continuous and safe water and wastewater services. While the City may have existing capital that requires maintenance or even expansions to serve existing demands, only those portions of capital improvement projects that are required for growth are included in the impact fee calculations. For water, this total is over $738 million and $330 million for wastewater.

What does this mean to Georgetown residents and business owners?

Any applicant who is seeking a building permit for a new development (residential or commercial) that will generate additional use of water and wastewater services are responsible for paying a Water and Wastewater Impact Fees. Applicant means any person, company, agency, or entity that is undertaking a development project. Public schools are exempt from Impact Fees.

The increased funding will mean new developments in Georgetown will pay a larger share of the infrastructure enhancements needed to accommodate and serve the development. This, in turn, shifts the burden of paying for new and expanded infrastructure (i.e. water/wastewater lines, treatment plants, etc.) off of existing residents and places it on the new development to the greatest extent permissible by statute.

Timeline

Jan. 25, 2022
Consideration and possible action to approve a Task Order Amendment #1 to Task Order CDM-21-006 with CDM Smith, Inc. of Austin, Texas, for professional services related to the 2022 Water and Wastewater Utility Master Plans Update, Integrated Water Resource Plan, Water and Wastewater Impact Fee and 2021/2022 Utility Evaluations Support

March 21, 2022
Presentation, discussion, and direction regarding the Water and Wastewater Cost of Service Study preliminary results. — Chelsea Solomon, Director of Water Utility

March 22, 2022
Updated Water and Wastewater Cost of Service Study

Aug. 9, 2023
First Reading of Ordinance to establish the Water Impact Fee Committee 

Aug. 23, 2022
Second Reading of Ordinance to establish the Water Impact Fee Committee

Jan. 24, 2023
Public Hearing – Water Wastewater Impact Fees
First Reading – Water Wastewater Impact Fees

Feb. 14, 2023
Second Reading and Adoption – Water Wastewater Impact Fees

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What meter sizes will be affected by this change?
Water meter sizes ¾” to 2”

How will I request a water meter when I need one?
Meter requests will continue to be made in the mygovernement.org portal

How will the meter get installed?
A member of the City of Georgetown water utility team will come to the given address and set the meter.

What is the wait time for a water meter to be set?
There is a 10-15 day wait period for scheduling and installation to take place once the initial request has been made.

What if I am not ready for the meter to be installed?
We recommend not requesting the water meter until you are ready. All necessary plumbing should be installed and ready to receive the meter on the day the request is made.

What if I already requested a water meter?
Any previously requested water meters that have not been picked up by the effective date of this change will be installed by the City of Georgetown. Please be sure all plumbing is ready to receive the meter.

What changed?
Moving meter installation to an internal process will help set a universal standard across the entire City of Georgetown Utility system. It will also help with the longevity and sustainability of the meter’s life due immediate knowledge of any potential damage to the meters, or any other components related to them at the time of install.

How does this benefit me?
You no longer will need to waste resources by sending someone to pick up the meter or paying the cost of installing it yourself. City staff will take care of that for you. There will be no changes in cost, nor any extra fees added.

The City of Georgetown has always partnered with its community and its customers to find the most efficient way of doing business. The time is right for this change, and we are excited to save our building community time and resources.