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Council approves higher bulk‑water deposit and EAA fee; ordinance amended
Summary
Council approved an amendment to the fee schedule to raise the bulk‑water permit deposit from $1,000 to $2,500 and to collect the Edwards Aquifer Authority fee on bulk water, aligning Leon Valley’s practice with regional requirements.
The Leon Valley City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance amending Appendix A of the municipal fee schedule to increase the refundable deposit for bulk‑water (hydrant) permits from $1,000 to $2,500 and to add collection of the Edwards Aquifer Authority water‑use fee (charged at $0.62 per 1,000 gallons).
Staff and the presenter, Mr. Damerlane, told the council the change responds to higher replacement and administrative costs for hydrant meters and to incorporate the EAA charge the city had not previously collected. As Mr. Damerlane explained, "we really just wanted to do was increase the deposit from $1,000 to $2,500 mainly because the cost of that has gone up to that amount," and to add the EAA fee of $0.62 per 1,000 gallons.
Why it matters: the ordinance aligns Leon Valley’s fee structure with the region for bulk water users and intends to protect the city against unrecovered costs when hydrant meters are lost, damaged or require replacement. Staff said developers pay a separate water‑supply impact fee when applying for a permanent meter, and the bulk permit change is targeted at temporary construction and landscape meters.
Council action: Councilor Campos moved to adopt the ordinance as presented; Councilor Orozco seconded. The council voted in favor and the mayor declared the motion carried. The transcript does not record a roll‑call tally by name for this vote.
Implementation: staff will begin collecting the revised deposit and will add the EAA fee to bulk‑water billing effective upon ordinance publication. City staff said routine monthly inspection and calibration enforcement will continue to be handled in‑house.
Background and comparison: during the discussion, staff provided a side‑by‑side comparison with San Antonio Water System (SAWS) charges at council request, noting that developers already pay water‑supply impact fees at meter application and that the amended deposit is intended to cover the city’s hydrant meter replacement and administrative exposure.
