DeKalb County planning staff recommends Butler ETJ agreement; commission forwards favorable recommendation

Chris Gollmer, a planning staff member, presented the proposed interlocal agreement with the city of Butler and described how the document would formalize the county’s existing extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). "First thing in your packet is the Butler ETJ agreement," Gollmer said, explaining the agreement puts in writing zoning authority, subdivision control, street standards, drainage review and addressing responsibilities.

Gollmer said Butler asked for one substantive change from previous agreements: flexibility on mandatory city sewer hookups. "The city of Butler wanted to have the right to not require city sewer hookup," he said, adding that the provision is intended to allow septic systems where connecting to municipal sewer would be financially or technically infeasible.

Commissioners pressed staff on how that flexibility would affect property owners in the expanded ETJ. Staff said the waiver is intended to apply to new development where hookup is impractical and that cities often annex property if they extend sewer outside municipal limits. A meeting participant raised cost concerns, noting a figure cited at a city meeting that sewer can cost about $1,000,000 per mile, and urged caution about when sewer extensions are required.

After discussion, a commissioner moved and a second was recorded; the commission then conducted a roll-call vote and recorded affirmative responses from multiple members. The clerk recorded a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners and staff said the item will be transmitted for consideration at the county commissioners’ next meeting in early December.