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Rockdale council authorizes $250,000 water and sewer master plan to enable impact fees
Summary
After extended debate about timing and cost, the council authorized staff to negotiate a roughly $250,000 contract with Freeze & Nichols for a water and wastewater master plan and impact-fee analysis to pursue development-paid infrastructure funding.
The Rockdale City Council authorized staff to negotiate a contract with the engineering firm Freeze & Nichols to produce a water and wastewater master plan and an impact-fee study, a project estimated at about $250,000 and budgeted by the city.
The study, staff said, is necessary to set defensible impact fees that developers would pay when new development ties into city utilities so existing ratepayers do not shoulder the cost of expanded wells, treatment or water towers. "This master plan would further refine the results of the comprehensive plan and determine infrastructure necessary to support the vision for future growth," said Jim, a city staff presenter, explaining why the plan precedes impact-fee adoption.
City staff told council members they issued an RFQ and received seven proposals; a staff selection panel scored Freeze & Nichols highest. The city manager and staff recommended negotiating a contract with that firm and returning the negotiated contract for council approval. Jim said the planning work would take about 12 months, after which council could adopt impact fees. "Those impact fees would be assessed against new development that's coming ... not against current ratepayers," Jim said.
Council members pressed staff on cost and timing. Several council members asked whether the work could be split across fiscal years, whether the Municipal Development District or developers might share costs, and whether another vendor could perform the work for less. Staff said state procurement rules for professional services require selecting on qualifications first and then negotiating price; staff reported $250,000 was within expectations for comparable work and that the amount had been budgeted for the year.
Members of the public raised longstanding water-quality and infrastructure concerns during the discussion; staff said new waterline projects are underway and that the master-plan work would help prioritize future capital projects. Council voted to authorize the city manager and city attorney to negotiate a contract with Freeze & Nichols and to ask the firm to include a three-year update in its scope, with cost included in the contract. The motion passed with six votes in favor and one opposed.
Next steps: staff will negotiate final contract language and return the agreement to council for final approval and contract execution. The study is expected to take roughly a year from contract start.
