Snellville discusses Gwinnett County IGA and fee waiver with ARRIS to extend sewer for downtown redevelopment

Snellville’s mayor and council used their April 14 work session to review an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Gwinnett County and a companion arrangement with ARRIS Development to extend sewer infrastructure that would serve the city’s eastern downtown.

City staff explained the proposal would let the county design, build and maintain a force main that ARRIS and the county would connect to, while Snellville would provide existing SPLOST-allocated funds for the work and secure any required easements. Staff described the proposal as a way to channel about 2,500 feet of sewer needed to serve ARRIS’s property and to provide capacity for nearby downtown parcels that currently cannot connect.

Why it matters: Staff told the council the package would allow a private developer’s required line to be built as part of a larger county project, which staff said the county had valued at roughly $8,000,000. Council discussion also noted a related downstream upgrade the county is considering, which staff described as roughly a $10,000,000 project. City speakers said, as presented at the session, Snellville’s net outlay would be substantially smaller — described in the meeting as roughly $1.4 million to $1.8 million — while the combined work would provide $15 million to $20 million worth of upgraded sewer capacity for the area.

Key terms and tradeoffs discussed: Staff said ARRIS would construct about 2,500 feet of sewer on its parcel, and the county would build and maintain the connecting force mains. The city would provide easements for the county-built segments; staff said they currently expect easements across two privately owned parcels and that a local church would donate the easement(s) needed. The draft IGA includes a term provision that, as written in the agreement text discussed at the meeting, begins on the date of the agreement and extends for 18 years; a councilmember asked for clarification about that duration during the session.

Fee waiver in place of a direct payment: Council members discussed waiving permit and plan-review fees for ARRIS as an administrative alternative to the previous approach in which the city would pay the developer difference costs. Staff said ARRIS originally priced its internal pipe work for a 12-inch pipe and separately priced an 18-inch option. The city had planned to pay the difference between the 12-inch and 18-inch construction price; under the arrangement discussed, the city would instead waive certain fees so ARRIS would not need an upfront city payment and reimbursement. Staff characterized the change as an accounting approach that avoids issuing a check and then reimbursing the developer, not as additional net spending beyond the amount described to council.

Outstanding questions and next steps: Council members probed the term length in the draft IGA and the downstream capacity work the county is weighing; staff said they would follow up with the county on those questions and confirm easement details. No final vote on the IGA or fee waiver was recorded at the April 14 work session; staff indicated next steps would include finalizing the agreement text and returning it for formal consideration at a future public meeting.

Ending: City staff framed the arrangement as an opportunity to upgrade sewer capacity downtown without assuming full project management; councilmembers asked for clarifications about the IGA term and easement scope before formal action.