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Residents urge Liberty Hill to reconsider AWPF site and to review wastewater impact fees
Summary
During public comment at the March 26 Liberty Hill City Council meeting, a real-estate listing agent urged the council to consider an alternate site for the city's advanced water purification facility (AWPF), and a nearby homeowner asked the council to review an assessed wastewater impact fee of $5,600 tied to living-unit equivalents.
Two members of the public used the council’s public-comment period on March 26 to raise wastewater-related concerns that touch on the city’s advanced water purification facility planning and how impact fees are calculated.
John Branigan, who identified himself as the listing agent for a property he said could host the advanced water purification plant, urged the council to look at alternatives to a 73-acre site the city has proposed. Branigan said the parcel he described would be less expensive to acquire and would avoid condemnation proceedings and extended timelines associated with contested purchases. He also disclosed a financial interest in the property as the listing agent.
“I want to be clear with that upfront. I am the listing agent on it,” Branigan said, adding he would welcome follow-up conversations with staff.
Also during public comment, David Quiroz asked the council and planning staff to review a wastewater impact-fee assessment applied to his property at 121 East Myrtle Lane. Quiroz said his home is roughly 400 square feet with a single water closet, two sinks and a bath, currently on septic, and that the planning division determined he must pay a $5,600 impact fee to connect to the city wastewater system. He argued the property does not meet the city ordinance definition for a full living-unit equivalent (LUE) because it is not a typical single-family residence in a typical subdivision.
“My property does not meet the criteria for the LUEs,” Quiroz said during his three-minute comment period. “The fee they're charging us is $5,600. That's a lot.”
Council and staff response
City staff acknowledged the comments and asked for contact information to follow up. The council did not take immediate action on either point during open session; later in the meeting the council entered executive session where multiple items related to wastewater permitting, property acquisitions for the North Wastewater Treatment Facility and the advanced water purification facility were listed on the executive-session agenda. No public-action outcomes related to AWPF site acquisition were recorded in open session.
Why it matters
Site selection and acquisition for an AWPF affect project cost, schedule and potential use of condemnation (eminent domain). Impact-fee assessments affect whether small property owners can afford to connect to city wastewater, and questions about how living-unit equivalents are applied could affect other homeowners facing similar assessments.
Next steps
Staff indicated they would follow up with the speakers; the council did not vote on any change to fees or property acquisition during the March 26 open session.
