During its April 3 meeting, Friendswood City Council authorized an agreement with Freese & Nichols Inc. to conduct the city’s 2023 Water and Wastewater Utility Impact Fee Project. The city first adopted water and wastewater impact fees in 1990. Updates are required every five years, with the city’s last update occurring in 2018, according to agenda documents.
Following a yearlong study of Friendswood’s water system in 2022, a firm recommended $3 million in improvements, including new water lines and storage tanks. Friendswood also has identified $60 million worth of water and wastewater projects to take on during the next two decades to maintain its utility services and accommodate development, according to the request for qualifications.
Impact fees, which are paid when a building permit is issued, fund required capital costs for locally provided infrastructure, including water and wastewater facilities. They are based on the size of the water meter.
The city went out for bid for the project in January. Freese & Nichols will be responsible for updates to the land-use assumptions, capital improvements plan and impact fees. The firm will give a presentation to the planning and zoning commission and to City Council later this year, according to agenda documents. It will also present its findings at public hearings in the latter half of the year.
