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Aiken City Council adopts sewer-capacity impact fees amid questions over county capacity
Summary
The Aiken City Council unanimously approved an ordinance establishing sewer-capacity impact fees after a lengthy discussion about whether the 1.5 million gallons per day the city purchased is legally and practically available, and after staff outlined reporting and tracking measures for allocations.
Aiken City Council voted unanimously March 9 to adopt an ordinance imposing sewer-capacity impact fees and to standardize how the city tracks and allocates sewer capacity to new developments.
City staff told council the ordinance is intended to correct misconceptions about capacity and to set an objective, standardized process for issuing allocation to projects. Mr. Beanbo said the city had purchased additional capacity — up to 1.5 million gallons per day — and that staff will track allocations at least quarterly to ensure transparency and to protect ratepayers.
Several council members pressed for written assurances that the county-managed treatment facility would allow the city to use the capacity it has purchased. “Do we have that in writing that we can access 1.5 million that we've purchased?” one council member asked, noting pending state legislation and recent audits of county tracking. Staff agreed to provide documentation and a public status report listing projects, gallons allocated, and permit status.
Stuart and Mr. Parrot, who spoke during the hearing, described the technical distinction between permitted capacity and actual flow. Mr. Parrot said the regional Public Service Authority (PSA) is permitted at a higher volume than it currently sends and that, based on current flows, the city can use the 1.5 million gallons it purchased. “So that using that 1.5 is not an issue because they're not sending that much currently,” Mr. Parrot said.
The ordinance also formalizes a fee structure and a process for developers to secure capacity. Council members noted the city is carrying debt on its water- and sewer-related obligations and said the new fee framework was crafted to avoid adverse effects on existing indebtedness.
Council members voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance after the second reading and public hearing. No roll-call vote with member-by-member tallies was read in the record; the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
Votes at a glance: the council also approved, without recorded roll-call tallies, a development agreement to extend water infrastructure for a Hampton/Home2 Suites hotel (developer cost estimated at $158,668; city share not to exceed $104,720.88), multiple annexation/zoning ordinances on the consent agenda, and other routine matters during the meeting.
