Georgetown council reviews revised development‑impact fee draft; water component removed

Georgetown City Council held a special work session on July 23 to review a revised draft of a proposed development‑impact fee schedule and to hear public comment on how the fees could affect housing, utilities and local businesses.

Consultant Ben Griffin summarized the purpose and limits of impact fees and described changes in the latest draft, while city staffer Chase Avizito walked council through three hypothetical development scenarios to show how the proposed fees would apply.

Impact‑fee purpose and key changes

Consultant Ben Griffin told the council that “impact fees are one‑time payments for growth‑related infrastructure, generally collected at the time of building permits,” and outlined three common methodologies used to set fees. Griffin said the revised draft makes several reductions from earlier versions and that, after staff review, the draft removes the water component entirely from the proposed fee schedule for the time being.

City staff member Chase Avizito said the wastewater component was narrowed so that only development inside Wastewater Treatment Plant 1’s collection area would pay wastewater impact fees; developments in other collection areas would not. “We are removing all components related to water,” Avizito said, explaining staff want to revisit water…