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City Council approves Westside sewer study to evaluate impact fees
Summary
The council approved a contract with Dunaway Associates LLC to study sewer needs on the West Side and explore impact fees for future development; a related executive session on real property produced no action.
The City Council approved an agreement with Dunaway Associates LLC on a unanimous vote to perform a Westside Sewer Study aimed at identifying system needs and establishing impact fees for future development.
City Manager Mike Rodriguez told the council the study is modeled on a previous East Side sewer study and would identify costs and impacts so "future homeowners... will be able to pay their fair share" of infrastructure costs. He told the council the prior East Side study took roughly six months and he did not expect the West Side work to delay development.
The study contract was moved by Council Member Sylvia Ramirez and seconded by Council Member Preston Brown. Ramirez formally put the motion on the record: "Move to approve an agreement with Dunaway Associates LLC to perform the work for the Westside Sewer Study." The council voted by hand; the mayor announced the motion passed unanimously, with a roll-call tally of four in favor.
Sam Satterwhite, who identified himself as representing Alluvium Development, told the council his firm is "working on a project on the West Side and we're eager to get some facts and hopefully we can work together to reduce some of your existing costs." Council and staff discussed that the proposed work associated with the project could remove an existing lift station at Harwood Park and otherwise reduce system needs if the developer's plan proceeds.
Rodriguez said the West Side study would allow the city to place impact fees similar to those adopted after the East Side study so new development contributes to needed infrastructure rather than placing the full burden on current residents. He and council members noted that other infrastructure studies—water or roads—may follow as development continues.
After the meeting the council convened an executive session to deliberate real property matters under the Texas Government Code (Chapter 551), including the Arcadia Theater and several addresses listed on the agenda. The council reconvened and announced there was no action to take following the executive-session discussion.
The study contract calls for Dunaway Associates LLC to produce a West Side sewer needs assessment and impact fee analysis; the agreement amount and funding source were not specified in the public discussion.
