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City staff preview potential SDC increases tied to collection‑system master plan; warns of tight economic context
Summary
City engineering staff updated council on the wastewater master plan and warned the city’s combined SDCs for a single‑family dwelling could approach about $30,000 if multiple master plans and fee updates are adopted.
City engineering staff gave a status update on the collection‑system master plan and associated potential changes to system‑development charges (SDCs), and said the city should expect increases if multiple master plans are adopted and aligned with capital needs.
Project overview: staff said the collection‑system master plan shows no existing capacity deficiencies but includes growth-related projects — primarily interceptor extensions at the city periphery to serve future development. Because projects are growth-driven, SDC updates are the mechanism to equitably allocate growth costs to new development, staff said.
SDC context and rough estimates: engineering staff presented a high‑level calculation of combined SDCs for a single‑family dwelling that includes water, sewer, transportation and parks. Staff said the combined SDC currently totals about $26,000 per single‑family dwelling; a scheduled July CPI adjustment would raise that combined number to about $28,000. Adding the proposed wastewater SDC update and future master-plan-driven adjustments could move the combined SDC closer to $30,000 per dwelling over the next 12–24 months, staff said. For sewer specifically, staff estimated a rise from roughly $5,200 today (about $5,300–$5,400 after July CPI) to approximately $6,500 following the update — a preliminary engineering estimate pending formal analysis.
Why this matters: higher SDCs would increase the upfront development cost for new single‑family homes and could affect housing affordability and development timing. Councilors raised concerns about the local economic context and the cumulative effect of fee increases across multiple master plans. Staff cautioned that freezing SDCs during prior downturns created long-term funding gaps and that a measured approach is required.
Tradeoffs and risk management: staff and councilors discussed options including phasing projects, prioritizing critical infrastructure (e.g., wetlands mitigation and key interceptors), and monitoring bids — staff noted recent bid results have come in under earlier estimates. Staff said their current 5‑year CIP does not assume SDC increases and that projects in the short term are not immediately at risk, but they identified industrial lands and the east side interceptor extensions as areas where delayed projects could constrain development opportunities if work were deferred.
Next steps: staff will complete the wastewater SDC analysis and return to council with formal SDC recommendations and an adoption timeline; staff also noted aligned timing with other master plans (transportation, parks) will influence the aggregate impact on fees.
