Dripping Springs council defers school site-development fees to May 20 to keep grading on schedule

The Dripping Springs City Council on Feb. 3 unanimously approved a request from the Dripping Springs Independent School District to delay payment of site development permit application fees for Dripping Springs High School No. 2 until May 20, 2026, a move district officials said will prevent costly construction delays.

A representative of the Dripping Springs Independent School District told the council the project "is vitally important for our students, their families and our community" and asked for approval to secure a conditional site permit while the district and city finalize an interlocal agreement. The district sought deferral of the standard site development permit fees and noted the tree removal fee-in-lieu had previously been addressed by council action.

City staff and the city attorney discussed timing and mechanics of a deferral during the meeting. City Attorney Nizilani advised that the council should specify a due date in the motion so that an amount becomes payable if an interlocal agreement is not in place by that date. Mayor Folds and other councilmembers said the council should mirror language used previously for tree mitigation — maintaining a firm date that triggers payment unless an ILA modifies the amount.

Councilmember Jeffrey moved to approve the district's request to delay payment of the site development permit application fees to May 20, 2026; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Staff confirmed engineering review and required pre-construction steps had been completed and that the district could finalize the remaining paperwork rapidly.

Next steps: staff and the district will continue negotiating the interlocal agreement; if an ILA is signed before May 20, the fee amount may be determined by that agreement. If no ILA is in place by May 20, the standard ordinance fee schedule will apply and payment will be due by that date.