Georgetown City Council approved the maximum allowable fees after a review of Georgetown Utilities' water and wastewater impact fees.

“Impact fees allow the local government to recover infrastructure costs associated with future development,” Water Utility Director Chelsea Solomon said at the Jan. 24 council meeting.

Water supply, treatment facilities, pumping stations and storage tanks are supported by water impact fees. Wastewater impact fees go toward treatment facilities, peak flow storage and lift stations, Solomon said.

Water and wastewater impact fees are calculated based on the size of the water meter installed.

The fees are calculated based on projected population growth, assumptions about land usage, and the 10-year capital improvement plans and developments required to support the growth, Solomon said.

Council approved maximum impact fees for a ¾-inch meter at $11,000 per living unit equivalent, or LUE, for water and a ¾-inch meter at $6,129 per LUE for wastewater.

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.

“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,” said Mallory Tallas, water conservation marketing program coordinator. “This, in turn, shifts the burden of paying for new and expanded infrastructure ... off of existing residents and places it on the new development to the greatest extent permissible by statute.”

Existing business owners will not be impacted, Tallas said.

Georgetown City Council approved the collection rate with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2023, and will re-evaluate their decision in 2025.

Editor's note: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Mallory Tallas' last name.