Georgetown City Council news — January 2012

Council approves stormwater drainage fee increase amendment

The Georgetown City Council approved an amendment to the stormwater drainage ordinance Jan. 10 that will increase the monthly stormwater drainage fee by 50 cents. The change would go into effect March 1 and increase the fee from $4.25 to $4.75.

The fee, which is part of the monthly stormwater drainage assessment on utility bills, pays for construction and maintenance of drainage projects such as the expanded culverts for Smith Branch under Maple Street.

The ordinance was also changed to allow billing of the stormwater fee to individual apartment units. The current ordinance assesses multifamily complexes at the commercial rate. Other changes are to the billing process for commercial accounts and would provide a discount to commercial property in the city that does not drain into the city’s service area.

City studies acquiring Chisholm Trail Special Utility District

City of Georgetown staff members met with consultants Jan. 4 to kick off a four- to six-month study that will explore acquiring the Chisholm Trail Special Utility District, which provides water to about 6,300 customers, about two-thirds of which are in or near the Georgetown extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The City Council approved a motion Dec. 13 to direct staff to work on details of an acquisition agreement.

This summer, a number of Chisholm Trail SUD’s customers reached out to the City of Georgetown to request a transfer into the city’s water service area, Georgetown Utility Director Glenn Dishong said.

At its Dec. 15 meeting, the Chisholm Trail SUD board of directors also approved $100,000 for the feasibility study and requested that staff develop an interlocal agreement with the City of Georgetown to allow the city to provide water services to the Shady Oaks subdivision by May 2012.

Dishong said a decision by City Council and the Chisholm Trail SUD board could be made in May or June.

Other City Council actions

Voted to delay enforcing the bandit sign ordinance, which prohibits temporary signs in the public way, until October

Voted to not extend a contract with Michael T. Novick Trust to purchase the former Albertsons building at I-35 and Williams Drive