Council approves higher utility deposits and longer repayment plans; $15 repayment fee removed

The Georgetown City Council unanimously approved an ordinance amending the city code to update miscellaneous utility service rates and charges. Sheree Hernandez, customer billing manager, presented the staff recommendation to raise the residential deposit from $150 to $250 and to set the minimum nonresidential deposit to the same $250 when billing history is not available.

Hernandez said the change aligns deposits with approximately two months of average water and sewer costs; she provided usage statistics, saying the average residential multi-service bill is around $274 and the median is about $241, while water-and-sewer-only averages about $125 with a median near $109. The ordinance also removes the $15 administrative fee for repayment plans and extends repayment-plan terms from six to 12 months so customers have more time to repay high bills resulting from leaks or other unexpected events.

The staff presentation emphasized that customers still have waiver options: a clean 12-month letter of credit from another utility or enrollment in automatic bank draft for 12 months. For businesses, deposit calculation remains twice the average monthly bill based on account history or a similar establishment, with the $250 minimum applying only when history is unavailable.

Hernandez read the ordinance caption for the first reading and council moved, seconded and approved the ordinance by voice vote. City staff said the fee adjustments would take effect on 12/01/2025.

The changes were presented as part of a periodic policy review; staff said deposits were last adjusted in 2012 and the update aims to better reflect current service costs while preserving customer protections and waiver options.