Leesburg staff launch professional study after city math suggests large rise in water and sewer impact fees

City staff told the Leesburg City Commission on Jan. 27 that they have started a professional review of the city’s water and wastewater impact fees after in-house calculations produced estimates well above the city’s current charges.

Director of Public Works Cliff Kelsey presented the update, saying the office performed a “very rudimentary” calculation using current construction-unit-cost assumptions and the city’s growth forecast. Using an assumed 3 million gallons per day (MGD) need tied to a 10,000‑home buildout at 300 gallons per day per single‑family home, Kelsey estimated a water impact fee roughly in the $2,100 range compared with the city’s current $11.75 fee. For wastewater, using a $25-per-gallon construction cost and a roughly 2.5 MGD capacity figure, the informal estimate was about $6,250 per residential unit; the city’s current wastewater impact fee is $2,778.

City Manager Al said the next step is a formal, engineering-driven analysis. The city has issued a notice to proceed to Jones Edmunds, a consultant the city already uses for wastewater flow modeling, and expects two weeks of data collection followed by several rounds of analysis and a final report in roughly six to nine weeks. “The fees don’t go up until an ordinance comes back to you,” Al said, adding that staff will present Jones Edmunds’ findings and then, if appropriate, an ordinance to amend the impact fee schedule.

Staff and commissioners also discussed timing and capacity. City officials said existing improvements give the city capacity for the near term under current growth rates: single‑family certificate‑of‑occupancy counts have averaged roughly 35–40 units per month in recent years, a pace staff said would not exhaust current water or sewer permits for several years under the city’s forecasts. City staff cautioned that if growth accelerates or more development proposals proceed, impact fees and required infrastructure would have to be revisited sooner.

Staff emphasized legal and procedural limits. City Manager Al noted that state law changes now require additional study and steps if a municipality increases impact fees by more than 50 percent in a single year; staff said they will review that statutory requirement as part of Jones Edmunds’ work. The manager also said the city will not issue further pioneer agreements that create new entitlements until fee and capacity questions are resolved.

Public comment during the meeting touched on water quality and “forever chemicals.” A resident asked whether treatment methods such as activated carbon are being considered and asked about recent water‑quality reports; the manager and Kelsey described Leesburg’s groundwater‑based treatment process, noted annual reports submitted to the health department, and offered to provide the most recent water‑quality report and to arrange plant tours.

What happens next: Jones Edmunds will complete data collection and analysis, and staff expect a consultant report and a subsequent presentation to the commission. Any change to fees would require a formal ordinance and commission action.