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Hillsborough County staff cite capacity limits and $2 billion of projects as reason to sharply raise South Central water and wastewater impact fees
Summary
County staff presented a study saying South Central demand and construction costs justify raising impact fees to about $13,270 per equivalent residential connection (from roughly $5,865), tied to $2 billion of planned expansion. A public hearing is set for Dec. 17; commissioners pressed for phase-in options and clearer public materials.
Hillsborough County water resources staff told commissioners in a workshop that extraordinary growth, near-term plant capacity limits and steep construction-cost increases justify large increases to water and wastewater impact fees in the South Central service area.
In a presentation at the county’s second publicly noticed workshop, consultant Justin Grant of Stantec and Water Resources Director Lisa Ray said the county faces capacity constraints at multiple plants and has roughly $2.0 billion in planned expansion needs — with roughly $1.7 billion of that concentrated in three flagship projects. Grant told the board the updated cost basis from the study would put the fee at about $13,270 per equivalent residential connection (ERC), compared with about $5,865 in the current South Central analysis.
Why it matters: impact fees are one-time charges developers pay when connecting new construction; staff said they fund capital to expand service so 'growth pays for itself.' Commissioners and staff said those fees are typically borne first by developers and may be passed on to homebuyers,…
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