HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda CC 10.25.2011 WorkshopNotice of Meeting of the
Governing Body of the
City of Georgetown, Texas
OCTOBER 25, 2011
The Georgetown City Council will meet on OCTOBER 25, 2011 at 3:00 P.M. at the Council Chambers at
101 E. 7th Street
If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance.
A Discussion and possible direction to staff on proposed amendments to the Stonnwater Utility and
Drainage Fee -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
B Presentation, discussion, and possible direction to staff regarding the City of Georgetown's Benefits and
Compensation recommendations -- Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources & Civil Service and
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
C Discussion related to the renewal of the Solid Waste and Recycling contract with Texas Disposal Systems
(TDS) amending the contract rates and services as presented to address customer requested service
upgrades, market rate increases, and facilitate a new revenue source -- Kathy Ragsdale, Environmental
and Conservation Services Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager
In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes,
Annotated, the items listed below will be discussed in closed session and are subject to action in the regular
session.
D Sec. 551.071: Consultation with Attorney
- Advice from attorney about pending litigation that has been filed against the City or contemplated
litigation and other matters on which the attorney has a duty to advise the City Council, including but not
limited to this week's agenda items
- TDS Contract
E Sec. 551.086: Competitive Matters
- LCRA Contract
F Sec. 551.087: Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations
- Discussions or deliberations regarding commercial or financial information that the governmental body
has received from a business prospect that the City Council seeks to have locate, stay or expand in or near
the territory of the City and with which the City Council is conducting economic development
negotiations; or to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect that the City
Council seeks to have locate, stay or expand in or near the territory of the City and with which the City
Council is conducting economic development negotiations.
- Project Fuse
I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of
Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all
times, on the _ day of , 2011, at , and remained so posted for at least
72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting.
Jessica Brettle, City Secretary
City of Georgetown, Texas
October 25, 2011
SUBJECT:
Discussion and possible direction to staff on proposed amendments to the Stormwater Utility and Drainage
Fee -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager and Micki. Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
ITEM SUMMARY:
The SWD Utility was originally established in 1992, authorized by the Texas Local Government Code,
Chapter 402 (now Chapter 552.) It was created in response to flooding issues along the Smith Branch
drainage channel. In 1995, a SWD fee of $.75/ per billing unit was finally implemented to support the utility.
In the subsequent years, there were many changes that affected the SWD Utility that were never addressed
within the ordinances:
amendments to the Local Government Code
changes in local land use
changes in standard lot sizes
annexation of lots and property with no other City services
unfunded federal mandates
In April 2010, the City began the process of updating the SWD Utility and in July 2010, contracted with
HDR Engineering, Inc. to revise the impervious cover measurements and the billing database and to review
and update existing policies and processes associated with the SWD utility. A year later, HDR provided the
City with a comprehensive report addressing the issues listed above and providing suggested revisions to the
impervious cover database, billing, and administrative processes and policies. These revisions include the
following:
Revised ordinance definitions for consistency with other utility ordinances,
Established a new Billing Unit, through a process assigning impervious cover area to utility billing
account,
Recommended a new Billing Rate to fund necessary system improvements,
Discounted rate equal to 20% of the standard rate for commercial property within the city limits that
does not drain into the City's drainage service area,
Revised the appeals process,
Changed wording within ordinances to reflect new service areas,
Changed commercial account responsibility from tenant to property owner,
Commercial accounts billed monthly, even when vacant,
Stormwater only accounts (no other City services) billed (i.e. parking lots),
Multifamily apartment units billed to each occupant at the residential rate per unit. Cover Memo
The GTAB Board recommended approval of the updated Billing Units and Rate Adjustments at it's October Item # A
14, 2011 Meeting
SUBMITTED BY:
Jim Briggs and Micki Rundell
I_r1YlI_�� .. ►7�i�1�1►YK`�
Code Revisions for Ordinance
ruffflaf,?-JT
Cover Memo
Item # A
Attachment number 1
Page 1 of 7
Sec. 13.28.010. - Purpose.
The Drainage Utility is established in order to maintain the public health and safety, within the City
limits, by protecting the community from the loss of life and property caused by surface water overflows,
surface water stagnation and pollution arising from nonpoint source runoff within the boundaries of the
service area of the utility as established in this chapter. Drainage service will be calculated based on
impervious cover, and offered on nondiscriminatory, reasonable and equitable terms within the service
area.
Sec. 13.28.020. - Definitions.
The following definitions shall apply to terms within this chapter:
"Act" means the Municipal Drainage Utility Systems Act of the Texas Local Government Code.
"Benefitted Property" means an Improved Lot or Tract, within to which a drainage service is made
available under this chapter
"Billing Unit" means a unit of measure used to calculate the Drainage Utility Fee and is based upon the
average horizontal Impervious Area for all the Residential Property within the City limits.
"Billing Unit Impervious Area Value" means the statistical average impervious area for residential
property in the City limits.
"Cost of service" as applied to a drainage system service to any Benefitted Property means:
1. The prorated cost of the acquisition, whether by eminent domain or otherwise, of land, rights -
of -way, options to purchase land, easements and interests in land relating to structures,
equipment and Facilities used in draining the Benefitted Property;
2. The prorated cost of the acquisition, construction, repair and maintenance of structures,
equipment and Facilities used in draining the Benefitted Property;
3. The prorated cost of architectural, engineering, legal and related services, plant and
specifications, studies, surveys, estimates of cost and of revenue, and all other expenses
necessary or incidental to planning, providing or determining the feasibility and practicability of
structures, equipment and Facilities used in draining the Benefitted Property;
4. The prorated cost of all machinery, equipment, furniture and Facilities necessary or incidental
to the provision and operation of draining the Benefitted Property;
5. The prorated cost of funding and financing charges and interest arising from construction
projects and the start-up cost of a drainage facility used in draining the Benefitted Property;
6. The prorated cost of debt service and reserve requirements of structures, equipment and
Facilities provided by revenue bonds or other drainage revenue -pledge securities or obligations
issued by the City; and
7. The administrative costs of operating a Drainage Utility system.
"Drainage" means bridges, catch basins, channels, conduits, creeks, culverts, detention ponds, ditches,
Page 1 of 7
Item # A
Attachment number
Page 2ofr
dravva, flunnea, pipeo, punmpo, olougha, treatment works and appurtenances to those itenle, whether
natural or artificia|, or using force or 0ruvhv. that are used to draw off surface water from |and, carry the
water avvay, co||eot, atore, ortreat the water, or divert the water into natural or artificial watercourses.
"Drainage Charge" means:
1. The levy imposed torecover the cost ofthe service ofthe municipality infurnishing Drainage
for any BenefittedProperty; and
2. An amount made in contribution to funding of future Drainage System construction by the
"Drainage Revenue Bonds" means any obligations isouedtofinanoethecoataofFoc|itieapayobk*and
secured bvalien onand pledge ofDrainage Utility Fees.
"Drainage System" rnemna the Drainage owned or controlled in whole or in port by the City and
dedicated to the service of Benefitted Property, including provisions for additions to the system.
"Drainage Utility" means the Public Utility established by the City of Georgetown in Ordinance 92-18.
"Drainage Utility Fee" means the Drainage Charge, including any interest and penalties paid by a
Benefitted Property for Drainage services provided by the Drainage Utility indudinQ, but not limited to.
the items described aa"cost ofservice" inthe Act.
"Exempt Property" means land owned by public or private institutions ofhigher learned as provided by
State law.
"Facilities" means the pnJperty, either real, persona|, or mixed, that is used in providing Drainage and
included iDthe system.
"Impervious Area orImpervious Surface" means a surface which has been compacted orcovered with
a layer of material so that it is highly resistant to infiltration by water. Impervious Areas or Surfaces
inc|ude, but one not limited to, compacted aoi|e, buildings, parking |ota, and private ingress/egress
roadways.
"Improved lot or tract" means a lot ortract that has a structure or other improvement on it that causes
onimpervious coverage ofthe soil under the structure orimprovement.
"Nonresidential Property" means any property used for purposes other than domestic habitation
including oommeroia|, induotria|, institutional, and government activities. Properties consisting of more
than four living units will be considered Nonresidential.
"NVnsVurce Point Runoff' means Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channe|, rimer or
Drainage System
"Public utility" means Drainage service that is regularly provided by the City through City property
dedicated to that service to the Users ofBenefifted Property within the service area and that is based
1. /\nestablished schedule of charges;
2. The use of the police power to implement the service; and
Page 2nf7
Item #A
Attachment number 1
Page 3 of 7
3. Nondiscriminatory, reasonable and equitable terms as determined by the City Council.
"Residential property" means any property platted or used for domestic habitation and platted as a
residential development (i.e., single-family residential, apartments that are four units or smaller, mobile
homes, etc.) upon which a structure has been placed.
"Runoff' means the water from rain, snowmelt or irrigation that flows over the land surface and is not
absorbed into the ground, and that instead flows into streams or other surface waters or land
depressions.
"Service area" means the geographic area which shall be served by the City's Drainage Utility, as
established by this chapter.
"User" means the person or entity who owns or occupies a Benefitted Property.
Sec. 13.28.030. - Establishment of drainage utility and dedication of assets.
The City of Georgetown's Drainage Utility is an established Public Utility. The City dedicates all City -
owned property, Facilities, materials and supplies constituting the City's Drainage System on the
effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter. All future acquisitions of real or personal
property related to drainage shall be maintained as a part of the Drainage Utility.
Sec. 13.28.040. - Drainage utility service area.
The service area for the Drainage Utility shall include all property within the City limits as amended from
time to time.
Sec. 13.28.050. - Drainage utility fund.
A separate fund shall be created as of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter,
known as the drainage utility fund, for the purpose of identifying and controlling all revenues and
expenses attributable to the drainage utility. All Drainage Fees collected by the City and such other
moneys as may be available to the City for the purpose of drainage shall be deposited in the Drainage
Utility Fund. Such utility revenues shall be used for the purpose of the creation, operation, planning,
engineering, inspection, construction, repair, maintenance, improvement, reconstruction administration
and other reasonable and customary charges associated with the operation of a utility for the drainage
utility of the City..
Sec. 13.28.055 — Drainage Benefitted Property
It is not required that the revenue from Drainage Utility Fees imposed and collected from any property
be used specifically to benefit the same property; rather, any revenue collected from Drainage Utility
Fees may be used for any qualified purpose of the Drainage Utility that is in the best interest of the City,
as decided by the City Council.
Sec. 13.28.060. - Administration of the drainage utility.
The Assistant City Manager or designee shall be responsible for the administration of this chapter,
including, but not limited to, enacting any procedures necessary for the administration of the Drainage
Charges and the consideration of variances, developing maintenance programs, and establishing
Drainage criteria and standards for operation of the Drainage System.
Page 3 of 7
Item # A
Attachment number 1
Page 4 of 7
Sec. 13.28.070. - Reserved.
Sec. 13.28.080. - Liability for floods and nonpoint source pollution.
Floods from Drainage and stormwater Runoff may occasionally occur which exceed the capacity of the
Drainage System maintained and financed with the Drainage Charges. In addition, surface water
stagnation and pollution arising from Nonpoint Source Runoff may occasionally occur which exceed the
capacity of the Drainage System maintained and financed with Drainage Charges. This chapter does
not imply that properties subject to charges shall always be free from flooding or flood damage, surface
water stagnation or nonpoint source pollution or that all flood control and water treatment projects to
control the quantity and quality of Runoff can be constructed effectively. Nothing whatsoever in this
chapter should be construed as or be deemed to create additional duties on the part of the City to hold
the City liable for any damages incurred in a flood or from adverse water quality due to drainage runoff.
Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to waive the City's immunity under State law or reduce the
need or necessity for flood insurance.
Sec. 13.28.090. - Establishment of Drainage Utility Fees.
A Drainage Utility Fee is imposed upon each Improved Lot or Tract within the City limits, for services
and Facilities provided by the Drainage Utility. For purposes of imposing the Drainage Utility Fee, all
Improved Lots or Tracts within the City limits are classified into the following three customer categories:
A. Residential Property;
B. Nonresidential Property.
C. Exempt Property
Sec. 13.28.100. - Calculation of Drainage Utility Fees.
A. A Billing Unit is hereby established and shall be used to calculate the total monthly Drainage Utility
Fee for all property located within the City limits, in accordance with the applicable formula as codified
in this section:
Billing Unit Impervious Area Value= 2808 square feet
2. Billing Unit rate= $4.75 per Billing Unit per month
B. The following formulas shall be used to calculate the number of Billing Units for any Improved Lot
or Tract:
Residential Property: Total Billing Units= 1.0 Billing Units per dwelling Unit
2. Nonresidential property: Total Billing Units= Impervious Area/Billing Unit Impervious Area
Value.
a. When calculating Billing Units for Nonresidential Property, the final figure shall be
rounded to the nearest tenth of a Billing Unit.
b. No single property will be charged less than the equivalent of one Billing Unit.
C. The monthly Drainage Utility Fee for Nonresidential Property will be calculated as follows:
Number of Billing Units for each property x the Billing Unit Rate.
Page 4 of 7
Item # A
Attachment number 1
Page 5 of 7
D. Exceptions
1. Nonresidential Property that produces Runoff, where the Runoff is directed to property that is
not within the City's Drainage service area, may pay a reduced rate that is 20% of the
standard Drainage Charge.
2. The following formula shall be used to calculate teh reduced Drainage Charge: Reduced
Drainage Charge = (Impervious Area/Billing Unit Impervious Area Value) x (Billing Unit Rate
x 20 %)
3. The following formula shall be used to calculate the Drainage
E. The City Council may review the foregoing schedule of fees at any time and may, by ordinance,
increase or decrease the fees within the schedule upon a determination that such increase or decrease
is warranted.
F. The City Council finds and determines that the Drainage Utility Fee has been established in
accordance with the provisions of the Act.
Sec. 13.28.110 — Determination of Impervious Area
The Assistant City Manager or his/her designee shall be responsible for determining Impervious Area
for Nonresidential Property based on data obtained from site plans for the location approved by the
City. If such information is not available within City records, measurements of Impervious Area will be
provided by the City using survey -grade technology.
Sec. 13.28.115 — Responsible Parties
A. Residential Property.
1 Payment of a Utility Drainage Fee imposed on Residential Property is the responsibility of the
occupant of the property.
2. Vacant Residential Properties that have all other utilities disconnected will not be billed a
Utility Drainage Fee. If any other utilities are connected, whether the property is vacant or
not, a Utility Drainage Fee will be billed.
B. Nonresidential Property.
1. Payment of a Utility Drainage Fee imposed on Nonresidential Property is the responsibility of
the owner of the property.
2. All Nonresidential Property Drainage Utility Fees will be billed to the property owner on a
monthly basis regardless of whether the property is occupied or not.
Sec. 13.28.120. - Billing and payment —Penalties.
A. Residential Property.
1. Drainage Charges for Residential Property shall be billed with the City's other utility charges
and shall be identified separately on the bill as a Drainage Charge. Any charge that is not
paid when due shall subject the User to discontinuance of all utility services at that location
provided by the City, including electric and water services.
Page 5 of 7
Item # A
Attachment number 1
Page 6 of 7
2. If Drainage is the only utility provided by the City at a location, utilities provided by other
companies may be disconnected pursuant to interlocal agreements.
B. Nonresidential Property.
Drainage Charges for Nonresidential Property shall be billed to the property owner at the
address provided by the owner.
2. Property Owners without an existing utility account with the City and who fail to provide a
billing address for Drainage Charges will be billed at the address provided to the City by the
Williamson County Appraisal District.
3. Failure to pay the Drainage Charge will result in the discontinuance of all utility services,
including electric and water services, at the location provided by the City if the property owner
is also the occupant of the Nonresidential Property.
4. Any Drainage Charge that is not paid when due may be recovered in an action at law by the
City in addition to any other remedies or penalties provided by this Chapter or State law.
C. The employees of the Drainage Utility shall have access, at all reasonable times, to any Benefitted
Property serviced by the Drainage Utility for inspection, repair of the Drainage Utility, or enforcement of
this Chapter.
Sec. 13.28.125. - Adjustment of fees and Appeal Process.
A. Any User who disputes the category of land use, size of commercially developed property, or any
other factor upon which the Drainage Charge is based may petition the Assistant City Manager or
his/her designee, in writing, for a decision on the validity of the requested revision or adjustment of the
Drainage Charge and set forth in detail the grounds upon which relief is sought.
B. The property owner may submit a certified survey and/or a foundation survey, at the owner's cost,
to assist in determining Impervious Area. In order to make a determination, additional information may
be required including but not limited to: survey data approved by a Texas registered professional land
survey, or a detailed development plan approved by the City of Georgetown. Failure to provide
requested information may result in the denial of the appeal or adjustment request.
C. No request for an appeal will be addressed if the rate per Billing Unit is the only factor disputed.
Additional, no Drainage Utility Fee credit shall be given for the installation of Facilities required by City
Codes or State Law.
D. The adjustment of Billing Units as part of an appeals process will stand as the User's basis for
future billings, whether higher or lower than the original determination, until such time as future changes
in land use cover or customer status may warrant further adjustments.
E. A decision shall be rendered in writing within thirty days of the receipt of the written request. In
making a determination to grant or deny an appeal or adjustment request, the Assistant City Manager
shall consider the potential for any adverse impact to the holders of any outstanding municipal
Drainage Revenue Bonds.
Sec. 13.28.130. - Program responsibility.
It shall be the duty of the Assistant City Manager or his/her designee to administer the Drainage Utility.
Page 6 of 7
Item # A
Attachment number 1
Page 7 of 7
The Assistant City Manager shall keep an accurate record of all properties benefitted or served by the
services and facilities of the Drainage Utility of the City and to make changes in accordance with the
rules and fees established in this Chapter.
Sec. 13.28.140. - Drainage utility fund.
A. The Drainage Utility fund may consist of one or more accounts. All Drainage Utility Fees shall be
deposited as collected and received into this fund and shall be used exclusively for the Drainage
services as stated in the Act, which includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Operation and maintenance of the Drainage Utility;
2. Funding of pollution abatement and peak flow attenuation devices constructed on stormwater
systems discharging to the surface water of the City;
3. Administrative costs associated with the management of the Drainage Utility;
4. Payment of the debt service requirements on any outstanding drainage revenue bonds
including any fees and expenses incidental thereto;
5. Engineering consultant fees.
B. The income derived from the operation of the Drainage Utility must be segregated and completely
identifiable from other City accounts. Drainage Utility Fees utilized solely for the cost of service,
exclusive of any sums pledged to retire any outstanding indebtedness or obligation incurred, or any
sum attributable to the funding of future improvement to the drainage utility, may be transferred to the
City general fund.
Page 7 of 7
Item # A
Attachment number 2
Page 1 of 30
City of Georgetown
P.O.. 409
Georgetown, Texas 78627-0409
i. Engineering, Inc.
Austin, I
Item # A
Attachment number
Page 2of 30
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
Sect`
Page
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1-1
1.1
PURPOSE OF THE UPDATE AND STUDY
1-1
1.2
REGULATORY SETTING
1-1
1.3
CURRENT CITY BILLING
1-1
2.0
UPDATE OF THE IMPERVIOUS COVER DATABASE
2-1
2.1
DEFINITION OFIMPERVIOUS COVER
2-1
2.2
MEASUREMENT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER
2-I
2.2.1
Parcel Line Coverage and Adjustments
3-1
2.2.2
Computerized Aerial IrnagerV Interpretation
2-3
2.3
ASSIGNMENT TOPARCELS
2-4
2.3.1
Z-4
2.3.2
Field Review
2-4
2.4
ASSIGNMENT OF PARCELS TOTHE C|TY'SBILLING DATABASE
2-4
3.4.1
Parcel and Utility Account Descriptive Attributes and Joining of the Data
2-5
2.4.2
Identification of Exemptions
2'6
2.4.3
Matching of Parcel Addresses to Utility Accounts
2-7
3.0
BILLING POLICIES AFFECTING THE DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
3'1
3.1
CONSOLIDATED AND UNCONSOLIDATED BILLING
3-1
3'1'1
Consolidated
3-1
3.1.2
Unconsolidated
3'I
3.2
ERU METHOD AND DETERMINATION
3-1
3.2.1
Customer Class Determination
3-Z
3.2.2
Minimum ERU Value and Rounding
3-2
3.2.3
Further Considerations by the Cit
3'2
3.3
ESTIMATED ERUAMOUNTS
3-3
3.4
STORMVV4TERUTILITY RATE REVENUE REQUIREMENTS
3-3
3.5
HDRBILLING DATABASE SPREADSHEET AND UPLOAD
3-4
4.8
CITY ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES
4-1
4.1
EXISTING ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES
4-1
Update
ufMunicipal StnrmwmterUtility ii
Faq
Data, Processes, and Policies
Item #/\
Attachment number
Page 3of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
� �Sect.
- 4.2 RECOMMENDED ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES
� 4.2.1 New Development or Redevelopment
4.2.2 Periodic Updates of Billing Database, Policies, and Processes
� 4.2.3 Customer Appeals
|
4.2.4 Inter -Departmental Coordination
5.0 ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 STORMWATER (DRAINAGE) UTILITY ORDINANCE
5.2 UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE
AppendixA- Impervious Cover VVorksheettobeCompleted atthe End ofthe
Development Review Process
AppendixB- Definition ofKey Field Codes inthe H0RBilling Database Spreadsheet
AppendixC- Customer Information Sheet 4sRelated ToAppeals
Update of Municipal Stornrm^7terUblitv iii
Data, Processes, and Policies
Attachment number
Page 4of 30
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
UPDATE OF MUNICIPAL STORMWATER UTILITY
IMPERVIOUS COVER BILLING DATABASE AND
_ 1.0 INTRODUCTION
| The City ofGeorgetown began investigation ofthecreatinnofamunidpa|stonnwateru1i|hyeadvinthe
1990s. A stormwater utility was created by the City in 1992 with the passage of an ordinance under the
| provisions ofwhat was then Chapter 4O2ofthe Texas Local Government [ode� Astudy was
�
commissioned that assessed the amount of impervious cover within the City in 1993, and the levy of an
associated storrnwateruser fee was amended into the ordinance in1995.
Subsequent tothe initial derivation ofimpervious cover data in1993 the City then sought 0okeep this
information updated through a monitoring of impervious cover of new development or redevelopment
inits development review and permitting process. Staff turnover, lack ofwritten procedures, and just
the passage of time and regulated and unregulated land use changes has caused the stormwater billing
database tobecome more suspect over time.
HDREngineering, |mc.,and its subcontractor Sanborn Mapping Co.,were retained bvthe City inJuly
2010 to update the impervious cover estimates, compile that information into billable amounts,
associate that data with existing ornew utility accounts, update the stormvvaterbilling database, and
review and update/enhance existing policies and processes associated with the billing of the stormwater
|n19O7 the Texas Legislature passed anact that was codified asChapter 402 Subchapter Cofthe Texas
Local Government Code. Entitled "Municipal Drainage Utility Systems," this statute created the formal
legal basis for creation of municipal stormwater utilities in Texas and defined a process by which the
new utility could be created, generally how fees were to be determined, where and to whom fees could
be charged, exemptions from the fee, eligible uses of fee proceeds, and other related matters.
The statute has been amended several times /19Og,1991,19g3,2UO3,2OO7 and 20U9\over the years.
Of note, some of the amendments exempted state universities and colleges (2003) and private
universities (2007) from paying the stormwater charge, and the 2009 amendment re -numbered the
statute toSection 552,Chapter Cofthe Local Government Code.
The City of Georgetown codified its adoption of the drainage utility in 1992 and fee levy in 1995 as
Chapter 1lIOofits municipal code. The municipal ordinance generally mirrors provisions ofthe State
statute and has not been substantially amended since 19B5.
Current City stormwater billing uses an estimate of impervious cover derived from Tax Appraiser data,
estimates of typical impervious amounts for land covers not in the Appraisal District data, and from
photographic interpretation done in 1993, as well as newer impervious cover data identified during the
land development/redevelopment permitting process. Impervious cover has been defined as a surface
Update ofMunicipal Stonnwx7terUtility 1-2
Data, Processes, and Policies f��� �
- Attachment number
! Page oof3O
{.
City gpGeorgetown, Texas
i which has been compacted or covered with a layer of material that is highly resistant to infiltration by
water and includes, but is not limited to, compacted soils, buildings, parking lots, and private roadways.
| As a result of the 1993 survey, the average value for impervious cover for various types of detached and
(
attached single family residential properties across the entire municipal study area was calculated. This
_ average was determined to be 2,088 square feet, which then became the amount of impervious cover
| associated with one standard Equivalent Residential Unit orone Billing Unit /2,0�8sqft=1ERUorBU>.
( ` '
Currently, stormwater customer class distinctions are made primarily based on the type of water meter
service and its associated billing procedure. Single family detached residential that isalmost always
/ separately metered isbilled one /1>BU. )fattached residential ornon-residential property isseparately
metered per dwelling unit, then each dwelling or tenant unit is billed one (1) BU. 1fattached residential
| property is master metered, if it is "stand-alone" non-residential parcel separately metered, or there
(
are separate meters as part of a broader non-residential complex, then the impervious cover for the
parcel or entire complex is typically summed to a total, divided by 2,088, and rounded to one decimal
place toget the number ofbilling units for that account. 8ypolicy, all eligible property ischarged a
minimum of one (1) BU,
There are also instances, atthe owner's orcustomer's request, where aggregated disaggregated
billing isoccurring. |nsome cases, the owner ofseveral non-contiguous accounts (different service
addresses) have asked that each service address' individual stormwater bill be listed separately on one
consolidated bill. In some instances, the customer has requested that separate utility bills for differing
locations beincluded inthe same envelope toasingle mailing address. instill other cases, landlords of
attached commercial property have requested that each of their tenants be billed individually such that
the overall impervious cover and billing amount was pro -rated to each individual tenant.
The City adopted a standard rate (sometimes called a fee) for one Billing Unit (BU) of impervious cover.
customer is the basis for that customer's monthly bill.
Update of Municipal StormwoterUtility 1-2
`- Data, Processes, and Policies Haq
— Attachment number 2
| Page 0of3O
{.
City uyGeorgetown, Texas
/ 2.0 UPDATE OF THE IMPERVIOUS COVER DATABASE
_ 2.1 DEFINITION OF IMPERVIOUS COVER
/ Currently, the definition of impervious cover is derived from the City's Unified Development Code (UDC)
which requires that those requesting a building permit provide impervious calculations for the building
and lot. The types of land cover included (and not included) in that definition are shown in Table 2-1
_ For purposes of stormwater billing going forward, a coordination meeting was held in August 2010 to
| discuss what types of impervious cover would be the basis for future stormwater billing. AchecNist
� form was reviewed and approved with a few later amendments to the definition. The definition of
impervious cover to be used as the basis of stormwater billing in the future is also listed in Table 2-1
�
/ below. As the definition of impervious cover for land development permitting is slightly different than
that used for stormwater billing, a suggested form (for the permit applicant to complete) that would
address both UDC and stormwater billing impervious cover needs and would allow for the calculation of
'
i separate impervious cover totals was developed and can be found in Appendix A.
The basic building block of determining impervious cover is how much of it iscontained within atax
parceyoboundan/. Whether the parcel amount is already the correct amount of impervious cover for
billing, or the parcel -level amount needs to be subdivided into more discrete charges to separate
customers, or parcel -level amounts are aggregated across several parcels for purposes of billing one
customer, the parcel -level amount is still the basic starting point for these considerations.
The definition of a parcel begins with original land surveys and ownership and may be later affected by
various subdivision approvals bvthe County orCity. For entities inWilliamson County, the Williamson
County Central Appraisal District (VVC40)develops and maintains the "offida|"electronic version ofthe
County'sG|Sparcel line coverage. |nthe case ofmeasurement ofimpervious cover from digital imagery
for stormwater billing purposes, one must be able to superimpose a parcel boundary over the various
land covers deemed impervious, so that one can arrive at a parcel -level impervious cover total amount.
When the parcel line coverage is superimposed over the impervious cover GIS layer that is based on
digital aerial imagery, there is potential error in the "parcel -cutting," as it is termed.
The first issue is that the electronically -represented parcel lines are not exactly correct. However, this is
difficult tocorrect. One land parcel contiguously adjoins another until all land area is accounted for. So,
when one attempts to adjust one parcel line, it affects the next parcel, the next, and so on. Also, the
ability to simply move the parcel line is further constrained by needed consistency with the legal land
survey and defined acreage for each parcel. |tislarge effort toperiodically register the electronic parcel
line coverage with the underlying surveyed metes and bounds. The second issue isthat the digital
imagery from which the impervious cover is developed may not be exactly in the same mapping
projection as the parcel coverage, or even if the same projection is used, variable terrain features may
still add some distortion.
Put simply, when you overlay the digital imagery with the parcel lines, things may not always adequately
"line up" where parcel lines cleanly define what appears to be lots and public and/or private properties
\ do not unduly encroach on one another (ex. driveways do not encroach on street rights -of -way, street
(
' parking do not encroach into private parcels, parcel lines do not cut through buildings, etc.).
) Update ofMunicipal Stormwote/Utility 2'1
Data, Processes, and Policies li~����
Attachment number 2
Page 7 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
Table -Z
UDC andStormwater Utility Definitions of Impervious Cover
! # !
E
b
!
#
_
. .
!
e•
s
Nov
#s#
mAn .. l .. # .....
# #
Counted as impervious, only it it is a covered deck.
** Unless Engineer certifies otherwise.
*** 50% of water surface is considered impervious.
Update of Municipal Stormwater Utility 2-2
Data, Processes, and Policies
Attachment number 2
Page 8 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
In the case of the 2009 digital imagery preferred by the City in this effort for determining impervious
cover and the current version of the WOAD parcel line coverage, one or both issues were present in
various portions of the City where parcel lines did not cleanly register to what appeared to be the
physical lot features in the imagery. After consultation with the City and solely for this study's purposes,
HDR was asked to "correct" the parcel lines in the more egregious instances so that the; parcel lines
followed fence lines where prudent to do so, driveways stayed out of public rights -of -ways, parcel lines
did not bisect building profiles, and other common sense adjustments.
Areas of the city where parcel lines were to be corrected were coordinated with City Staff, and the
corrected lines were provided to City staff for review. After approval by the City of the adjustments,
HDR provided the adjusted parcel coverage to Sanborn Mapping Co. for the subsequent determination
of impervious cover and the "cutting" of that impervious cover into parcel total. For its own agency
purposes, the WCAD has no substantial reason to accurately register the parcel lines to aerial
photography in an on -going manner as new photography is obtained over time. The correction of these
parcel lines by HDR were done solely for the City's purposes in improving the impervious cover
estimates for selected parcels for stormater billing purposes.
2. .2 Computerized Aerial Imagery InteroretatiM
Sanborn Mapping Co. was provided the digital aerial imagery and adjusted parcel coverages. HDR and
Sanborn had previously coordinated the preferred definition (for stormwater billing purposes) of
impervious cover with City staff. The imagery provided to the study was flown in 2009 and recorded in 3
band RGR with pixel tiles of 6 inch to 1 foot depending upon the area of the City examined. Sanborn's
then used a computerized process to discern impervious cover from the digital aerial information.
This process first started with Sanborn identifying representative land cover from the imagery that
matched the definition of impervious cover. The digital wavelengths associated with these
representative samples of various types of defined impervious cover were then noted as items of study
interest. In essence, this constituted a "training" of the software on what wavelength to look for, the
delineation of aerial boundaries of that eligible land cover, and subsequent computation of surface area
of the recognized impervious cover. The results of the computerized determination were then
manually reviewed by Sanborn staff for accuracy, noting and adjusting for items not recognized or for
the estimation of impervious area where surface structures were partially obscured by tree crown cover.
Samples of the draft impervious/pervious layer were then provided by Sanborn to HDR and City staff for
review and comment. Revisions were then made to produce a final impervious/pervious coverage.
Table 2-2 indicates the specification of the final coverage product
Table 2-2
Specifications of the Impervious Cover Layer
.
Update of Municipal Stor water Utility 2-3
Data, Processes, and Policies
Item # A
` Attachment number
� Page 9of 30
�
City of Georgetown, Texas
i 2.3 ASSIGNMENT TO PARCELS
2.3.1 Parcel "Cuttina" of Pervious and Impervious Amounts
/ Subsequent to the finalization of the impervious/pervious GIS coverage, Sanborn then used the adjusted
parcel line coverage provided by HDR to "cut" the impervious/pervious areas into parcel -level totals. A
file nfthis information was then returned to HDRfor subsequent field review nfthe information and
/ work in building the stnrnnvvaterbilling database.
| 2.3.2 Field Review
Almost any affordable indirect measurement ofland features isgoing 0nhave some degree nferror. To
'- ascertain if the determined impervious cover per parcel fell within acceptable quality control bounds
� and also to assess the potential source(s) of error, a field check and independent "office" calculation of
impervious cover was performed for a representative sample of properties.
The City of Georgetown provided HDR with a list of 24 properties (10 residential and 14 non-residential)
as well as maps of the properties to use for the field verification of impervious cover. Staff from HDR
visited each site and visually inspected the impervious cover at each location, Any noticeable changes to
impervious cover were noted and measured ateach property. This was used toannotate the printed
maps. The maps were then returned to the office where the impervious cover was then re -measured
from the aerial imagery and any revisions identified in the field review. The impervious cover, derived
by HDR, was then compared to the impervious cover amounts derived by Sanborn.
While afew of the properties showed asignificant difference (greater orless than E%), the average
difference for the residential properties was 0.04% and 0.01% for the non-residential properties. Some
of the reasons for the larger discrepancies were slightly inaccurate impervious cover delineation due to
tree canopy over driveways or unusual structures not delineated as impervious. Acomparison table of
the HDR and Sanborn determined impervious area was provided to the City for review. Staff was
accepting ofthe range ofaccuracy. Asdiscussed later, ifany non-residential stormvvatercustomer feels
that his/her impervious cover measurement is sufficiently incorrect, they can request a re -measurement
through the filing ofanappeal.
Having updated impervious cover measurements by parcel is a significant step forward, but still well
short ofmatching this parcel -oriented database to the separate utility billing database needed to garner
the revenue needed for the stornnvvaterutility. |nterms oflevel ofanalysis, this isprobably the most
labor-intensive portion ofthe study. There ismuch more here than first meets the eye.
In some cases, the linking of a parcel to a unique utility billing account is straightforward. However,
there are a surprising number of instances where the impervious cover parcel -related data (billing units)
does not cleanly transfer right into abilled account, including:
• Parcel addresses whose spelling does not match utility service addresses;
• Parcels with nomatching utility service address;
m Utility accounts with nnmatching parcel address;
• Incomplete addresses;
• Exemptions that have tobeidentified and coded for nobilling;
• K4u|dp|e parcels to one utility account;
> Update ofMunicipal StormwoterUtility 24
Data, Processes, and Policies fill
Attachment number
Page 10of3O
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
v Multiple utility accounts toone parcel;
• Parcels outside the city shown as inside the City in utility billing;
• Utility accounts shown inside the City that are actually outside the City;
• Parcels that, by policy, will be billed 1 ERU (equivalent residential unit) or I billing unit;
• Parcels that, bvpolicy, will have the number ofERUsspecially calculated;
* Utility accounts for "attached" development that are currently separately billed that will
now beaggregated into one bill and sent tothe owner;
• and others.
It has been HDR's experience that similar or related data and data attributes obtained from different
databases, that are maintained by differing entities for differing reasons, may not be consistent with one
another orperhaps even inconsistent with real conditions. |nthis study effort that relates parcel -based
impervious cover estimates with utility billing information, there is often a need to combine or join
several differing sources of data into one analysis in order to have sufficient comparative data to help
resolve these exceptions and to identify remaining inconsistencies that warrant further investigation.
The first source of data and data attributes originates with the Williamson County Central Appraisal
District, who provided this study with the parcel line coverage, parcel attributes, and other land use and
valuation attributes. The second key source of data was a download of utility customer billing accounts
and descriptive account attributes from the City ofGeorgetown. Another source ofinformation was
obtained from the emergency 911 database which provided geo-located street addresses.
Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, noneofthese databases had acommonly named nrformatted
data "hook" (such as a tax or property ID code) which would allow a record from one database to be
uniquely correlated toarecord inanother database. What iscommon toall three databases issome
rendition ofstreet and/or service addresses. However, the formatting orconnotation ufaddress
information can vary from source tosource. For example:
• There isanincomplete address, such asRiver Road.
= There can different spellings orformatting ofthe same address:
— 121 North Main Street
— 121 N. Main Street
— 121 N. Main St.
— 121 Main Street North
— 121 Main Street N.
— 121 Main St. N.
• The parcel address may vary from the utility service address:
— 333Oak Street (service address)
— 335Oak Street (parcel address ofalarger parce|),or
• A corner lot may have a parcel address on one street and a service address on the intersecting
street.
Comparisons were made between the separate databases' address information to determine exact
matches. A series of non -matches (or exceptions) of various types were also identified. When
reviewed, some of these exceptions had obvious differences in spelling or address formatting that could
easily berectified, and amatch was made tothe other database.
Update ofMunicipal StormwoterUtility 2-5
Data, Processes, and Policies f����
Attachment number
| Pogv11 of3O
City ufGeorgetown, Texas
( Some of the other remaining exceptions could be resolved through reference to the geo-located 911
address which allowed us to juxtapose the 911 address point location with an overlay of the parcel line
- coverage which also had the parcel address attribute. Finally, there were aseries nfparcel orutility
< service addresses that could not be readily correlated with one another. As discussed below, these and
other types of hard -to -resolve exceptions were classified by type of exception, and HDR worked with
( City staff to resolve asmany aspossible.
Section 552 Subchapter C, of the Texas Local Government Code identifies exemptions to a municipal
drainage utility's charge for service. Asameans ofaddressing these exemptions, the City of
Georgetown searched for accounts that directly relate to these exemptions, and also instituted data
tests to identify property that might meet other exemption criteria.
State -Mandated. hthe case ofGeorgetown, Section S52provides mandatory exemptions for:
1. Property with a wholly sufficient and privately -owned drainage system;
2. Property held and maintained in its natural state until such time the property is developed;
� 3. A subdivided lot, until a structure has been built and a certificate of occupancy is issued; and
! 4. Public and private institutions ofhigher learning;
ConcenninQ#1 there are nowholly sufficient private drainage systems inthe City, sonone were
exempted. Concerning #4, these accounts were manually identified and provided an exemption code.
To address exemption categories #2 and #3, to also address issues with parcel lines not adequately
. registering to the digital aerial imagery in some instances, and to avoid trivial uneconomic billing,
properties with less than 500 square feet of impervious cover were considered exempt.
Local Discretion. Section 5S2aUovvsd�c�tionaryexemnp{ionsfor propertieauvvnedbvthe:
' .
1. State;
2. County;
3. Municipality;
/i School District(s);and
5. Religious organizations exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 11.20 of the Texas Tax Code.
Here, City staff provided direction not to allow any of these discretionary exemptions.
Vacant Residential. Once animpervious cover structuneisbuilt, itremains impervious whether kis
occupied or not, and ideally, should remain billable regardless ofits occupancy status. However,
residential rental property can have arapid and frequent turn -over rate. For example, arental home
can bevacated for three weeks and then rented again. Six months later, itcan happen again.
\ In order to continuously bill through this, the stormwater account would change from tenant to owner
' to tenant in a three week span with attendant administrative cost and confusion in the billings and
collections process. Practicality dictates the awarding of exempt status to vacant residential property.
| Two differences distinguish vacant commercial property as to why it should remain billable in its vacant
state: (a) the turnover rate is slower for both detached and attached commercial property, and (b) for
� attached commercial units, the bill will gotoowner inany case and the billing for avacant unit can be
easily maintained.
Update of Municipal StormwoterUtility 2-6
Data, Processes, and Policies faq
Attachment number
Page 12of3O
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
'
' 2.4.3 Matching of Parcel Addresses to UtilitV Accounts
After resolving address matching and exemption issues, a subset of the eligible parcels could then be
| matched toexisting drainage occount�and the transfer ofthe uodatedinnperviouscover biUingdata in
� .
these instances was relatively straightforward.
In other cases, impervious cover was found on eligible parcels that had no current drainage billing, but
( had a city utility account of some other type (water, sewer, electric, garbage). Here, advantage could be
taken of the existing account information with the stormwater service added -on as a new service billing.
In the remaining instances there were parcels with eligible impervious cover with nocurrent utility
account ofany type. Typically, these can include land uses such as parking lots or adjoining warehouses
that are on their own separate parcels, but do not have other utility services. These accounts were
designated as stormwater-only accounts, where the stormwater-only bill will go10the land owner.
Stormwater only accounts were also created where the entirety of the impervious cover for attached
commercial property would be billed to the owner of the property and the owner had no permanent
utility account at that address (as distinct from the owner's name temporarily on a tenant account).
|
Update of 2�
- � ' n�
Data, Processes, Po
licies ���~�'=
Attachment number
| Page 13of3O
(,
City of Georgetown, Texas
( 3.0 BILLING POLICIES AFFECTING THE DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
F_ |naddition tothe determination nfbilling eligibility, there are also other policy decisions that affect how
| customers are billed and inwhat amount.
There may be instances where it may be preferable to consolidate the billing of separate,but related or
adjoining, properties into one bill. In other cases, it may be more preferable to bill them separately.
Attache6Corn Owner. Typical examples ufthis situation include multiple -occupant office
buildings, strip shopping centers, and malls. Here, multiple tenant spaces are rented bvalandlord.
While water and/or electric service is often "master" metered, certain buildings may have Individual
spaces separately metered. To reduce administrative costs associated with separate stormwater billing
and to increase collection rates for both occupied and vacant properties, attached commercial
properties with one owner will have the impervious cover summed for the entire parcel, converted into
billing units, and bebilled solely tothe owner ofthe property.
Adjoining Parcels/Same Owner/Non-Builder. There are other cases, where there are two billing -
eligible adjoining parcels with the same owner, whose is not a builder. In these cases, the billing for the
two parcels will also beconsolidated ontoone bill.
3.1.2 Unconsolidated
Adjoining Parcels/Same Owner/Builder. There are also often instances, particularly in newer
subdivisions, where abuilder isconstructing several homes along astreet Again, there are instances of
adjoining parcels having the same owner, but this isonly atransitory state that will change upon sale uf
the homes. In anticipation of this, it is better to provide for separate billing of these accounts.
Attached Res/de u|dpie Owners. This situation includes aduplex, triplex, orfourp|exstructure
on a parcel by itself, or a townhome or condominium dwelling unit on its own parcel. Here the dwelling
units are attached, but each is typically separately metered and has been assigned to the residential
customer class. In this case, the stormwater billing will be made I ERU to each dwelling unit sent to the
resident.
Non -Adjoining Parcels/Same Owner. There are also often instances of a landlord owning multiple, non-
adoiningpnopertiesvvhodesiresconso|idatedbU|ing. Asadefault policy, stonnwaterbilling will not be
consolidated unless requested by the owner and approved by the City's customer billing manager.
In locales across the U.S. where stormwater is charged on the basis of impervious cover, the most
common stormwater rate structure is called the ERU (equivalent residential unit) method. In this
approach, the average square footage of impervious cover is determined across all residential units in
the City and this average amount of impervious cover represents one (1) ERU. Each residential unit io
then considered one (1)ERUand isassigned 1billing unit. For eligible non-residential property, the total
eligible impervious cover on a parcel or group of parcels is then divided by the average sq ft for an ERU
toyield atotal number nfERUsorbilling units for that property. The total number ofresidential and
'
Update of JtonnvoterUti8t`v 3'1
Do�.pmc����dPm��� fill
Attachment number
� Page 14of3O
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
� non-residential ERUsisthen summed citywidetoyield atotal number ofbillable units that, coupled with
the rate revenue requirement, are the primary bases of the stormwater rate determination.
The popularity of the ERU method across the country is due to several factors, including:
Ease of administration in charging typical residential housing a common monthly charge;
Anequitable estimate ormeasurement ofhow much impervious cover is actually onanon-
residential property; and
4nequitable common rate per ERUfor all.
It should also be mentioned that there are varied approaches that can include tiered residential charges
(for example, a portion of I ERU for lots with smaller amounts of impervious cover, 1 ERU for lots in the
nnid-range,and amultiple ofone ERUfor larger residential deve|opment). Another variation istotake
the impervious cover as a percent of lot size which then determines which tiered rate may be applied.
It is rule ofthumb in the rate- and fee -making profession that there isofairly direct trade-off between
equity and administrative complexity and cost. The more equitable the approach, the more costly itis
to administer. A tiered rate approach involves value judgments of where to set the tier thresholds,
more close monitoring of residential property improvements, and explanations to homeowners why
their bill isdifferent than their neighbors. Impervious cover asapercent oflot size typically then
induces debates about whether the soil type is permeable or not, what types of landscaping is present,
where the impervious cover islocated onthe lot, and soon. The prevalence ofuse ofthe simple ERU
approach bymany municipal sturnovvaterudlides reflects its market -testing asaviable, generally
equitable, and community -accepted approach tnsturnnxvaterbilling.
Aadiscussed above, the key distinction in how the billable ERU(s) is determined is whether the property
isconsidered residential ornon'residentiei inGeorgetown, the definition ofresidential property
includes single family detached residential, individual mobile homes ontheir own lot, attached owner -
occupied tovvnhonnesandcondos,andattachedoesidenda|structuresuptnandindudingapartnnent
buildings. The definition of non-residential property includes all other eligible land uses.
For billing purposes, no eligible property will be billed less than one (1) ERU. |nthe calculation ofthe
nunnberofERUsfore|i8ib/ennn'residen1ia/properties,theca|cu|atednumbersofERUsshaUberounded
tuthe nearest one'tenth,esisthe current policy.
3.2.3 Further Considerations by the City
In some cases, HDR could not resolve certain exceptions (who to bill, how to bill) which could noticeably
delay the submittal ofits report tothe City. With feedback from City staff, these exceptions were
resolved. There were also instances of initial guidance from staff being changed or refined part -way
through the process. A decision was made not to bill small amounts of impervious cover at cemeteries.
' The two cemetery parcels within the City were classified asexempt. City staff also wants todelete park
� paths as being defined as impervious cover and to include railroad lines and ties as impervious cover.
After consultation with Staff, these were left as remaining clean-up items for staff to address
|
� subsequent tnthe submission nfHDRdeliverables. Concerning park paths, Staff will need toidentify the
� ' park parcels, measure the aerial extent ofthe park paths, and subtract this amount from the parceys
> Update ofMunicipal StormwmterUtility 3-2
Data, J�J��.��
�
Attachment number 2
Page 15 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
overall impervious cover prior to the calculation of billing units. Concerning railroads, this will involve
manually calculating the impervious cover from the amount of impervious cover per lineal foot of the
rail lines and impervious cover per railroad tie, and lineal distances and number of ties per unit distance.
3.3 ESTIMATED ERU AMOUNTS
The results of the updated billable ERU inventory for the City of Georgetown are shown in Table 3-1 by
residential and non-residential subtotals. These ERU totals are compared to the November 2010
inventory of billable units from the City's older billing database dating from 19-95. The total ERUs
assumed in the FY11 budget revenue forecast (old data) and for the current effort (new data) are based
on standard ERU values of 2,088 sq ft for the older data and 2,808 sq ft for the updated information.
The 2,808 sq ft ERU value represents the median impervious cover square footage of all detached and
attached residential dwelling units,
One might expect that more development would have occurred since the last comprehensive update of
ERU. However, the higher ERU square footage value determined in the current updating effort acts to
deflates the resulting number of non-residential billing units (as the ERU value is the divisor of the
equation: non-residential impervious sq ft/ERU sq ft = non-residential billing units). So while there has
been an increase in both residential and non-residential impervious cover in Georgetown over time, the
higher ERU sq ft value in the current updating acts to reduce the number of billable non-residential
ERUs.
Table 3-1
Comparison of Number of Billing units
Number of ERUs(billing units)
2009 Basis for FY11 Budget
Customer Mass Aerial Imagery Revenue Forecast
(new impervious data) (old impel i us data Difference
Residential 20,120 17,203 +2,91.7
Non -Residential 18,946 21,719 -2,773
Total 39,066 38,922 +144
3.4 STORMWATER UTILITY ATE REVENUE REQUIREMENTS
The next step in the determination of a possible stormwater utility rate is to assess the amount of costs
it is intended to recover. In the case of Georgetown, the anticipated revenue requirement should cover
all budgeted O&M and capital costs not otherwise funded, an allowance for operating and capital
reserves if warranted, an allowance for uncollected accounts, and if applicable, any debt service and/or
revenue bond coverage requirements. From this total cost of service basis, any non -rate revenue, such
as that garnered from drainage fees, fines/penalties, or other non -operating sources of revenue, should
be subtracted to yield the total rate revenue requirement for stormwater.
The City's budget process for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) has identified a stormwater revenue requirement
of $2.461 million. As shown in Table 3-2, a proposed monthly stormwater rate of $5.25;per ERU times
39,066 billable units times 12 months yields the anticipated total FY12 stormwater rate revenue
requirement of $2.461 million.
Update of Municipal Stormwater Utility 3-3
Data, Processes, and Policies Fal
Item # A
Attachment number 2
Page 16 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
Table
Estimated tRevenue,rising
#.. ��.
a Qi•
aw �
j♦ i
3.5 HDR BILLING DATABASE SPREADSHEET AND UPLOAD
In addition to this report, HDR also provided the City of Georgetown several other deliverables from this
study effort; including electronic files of:
the adjusted parcel line coverage,
the impervious cover layer determined by Sanborn Mapping;
a working spreadsheet that includes:
— various details used to match parcels to utility accounts,
— correlated property ID and utility account number,
— assigned service type and customer class codes,
— impervious square footage,
— assigned'ERUs or Billing Units,
— other attribute information,
— comments as to 'possible special considerations on that account, and
— the content in the working spreadsheet that will be the basis for a customized "upload"
file that contains a more discrete set of information needed for import to the City's
customer billing software. The City needs to determine what data it wants to import
into the customer billing system, both as a basis of calculating and addressing the bill,
but also for customer inquiry purposes.
Update of Municipal Stormrvater`Utility 3-4
Data,, Processes, and Policies
Item # A
Attachment number
/ Page 17of3O
\�
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
{ 4.0 CITY ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES
In addition to the updating of the impervious cover and billing information, HDR was also requested . to
( review the current City processes for gathering and processing information on impervious cover of new
` development or redevelopment that is input to the customer billing system.
In summary, the existing processes for collecting, processing, and billing impervious cover data needs
- some level of improvement at various junctures, starting with the beginning of the processes through
� the end point. The current system gets by,but itdoes have its lapses and short-conninQs. City staff,
recognizing ithas needed anoutside review, commissioned this study.
� Attheoutsetoftheprocess,itiscurrent/yundearannongstaffastovxhatisthe"correct"definidonor
/
definitions of impervious cover, either for land development or building permitting or for stormwater
billing purposes. The definition of impervious cover in the Unified Development Code is vague, and HDR
has been unable to obtain a prior existing written definition of what specific types of land cover are to
beconsidered impervious. There appears tobesome latitude inthe determination ofsuch byStaff.
Currently, the determination of impervious cover is reviewed at two points in the land development
process: once during the initial platting stage when the type and extent ofthe broadly proposed land
development could be constrained by density and impervious cover limitations of the City. The second
point ufreview isduring the building permit stage when more specific plans for building and ancillary
area features are known. |tisatthis second stage review, when impervious cover amounts are
determined for project specifics that this value goes forward on to customer billing. /nspecial cases or
upon appeal, customer service staff may be sent to the field for actual site measurements. Currently,
the City does not require the submittal of "as -built" plans, where what was actually constructed is
indicated. So, there is some remaining uncertainty astowhat was actually built and the actual
impervious cover amount. This ismore consequential for new non-residential land uses where the
actual impervious cover per parcel isused asthe basis for billing.
Once it is calculated in the building permit review process, HDR understands that there are two
subtotals of impervious cover recorded that are: (a) associated with the building and (b) other
' impervious features (such aspaved area) onthe lot. Staff has mentioned that there have been some
instances where only the building square footage was carried forward for stormwater billing purposes.
Also, there does not seem to be any readily available written history as to how each new development
was assessed, i.e. what features were included in the impervious cover totals, how parcels might have
been combined (or not) for billing purposes, what accounts for what reasons might have been
considered exempt or no charge, or notes as to other special circumstances, etc. The lack nfthis
ancillary data makes itdifficult for any person to retrace how the billable units for certain accounts were
determined, as may be the case with a customer service representative handling a billing inquiry or for
broader audit purposes.
It has also been difficult for customer service staff to ascertain certain types of billing data issues
through the narrow perspective of their database program and without access to certain other
analytical tools. As previously mentioned, this current study effort has had to combine several sources
ofdescriptive information toidentify some underlying account issues. For instance, once HORwas able
to geo-locate the existing utility service addresses and overlay that information with the City's corporate
boundaries using G/S software, HDR found existing utility accounts listed as inside the City that were, in
�
| Update of �o�wo�rU�� 4-1
^ ' ,
Data, Processes, and Policies luq
Attachment number
| Page 18of3O
<,
City of Georgetown, Texas
fact, outside the City and vice-veoa. For instance, there are some non -linear streets that weave in and
out ofthe City limits. With the limited analytical tools the customer service staff had athand,
-- knowledgeable, but not always correct, guesses were made as to inside -city or outside -city location
/ based on street addresses.
While admirable interms ofcustomer friendliness, the customer service division has allowed for special
billing arrangements for various accounts, such asdetermining pro -rated impervious cover for attached
commercial property and sending tenants separate stormwater bills at the request of the owner. This,
however, places an administrative burden and cost on the City (and other customers) rather than on the
owner who wants special consideration for his leased property.
The City's existing stormwater (drainage) utility ordinance also needs revision. Key definitions are
r' missing (ex. residential), vague (ex. impervious cover), or could be misconstrued (non-residential does
| not reference any types ofhousing\. The method stated inthe ordinance for calculating the number nf
non-residential billing units is incorrect. The ordinance references certain other material, such as
appeals hearing standards, but HDRfound noindications ofsuch other documents. Provisions ofthe
| ordinance assigns the resolution of appeals to the City Manager, but it is impractical for the chief
operating office of the City to address these appeal issues, especially as may be the case when the billing
� database isgenerally updated orasnew areas are annexed. There are various other ordinance clean-up
issues. Staff is aware of various ordinance issues and has developed a mark-up copy of a suggested
revised ordinance, but actions to proceed with ordinance revisions has been delayed pending the review
and outcome ofthis study.
Finally asinmost cities, there are multiple departments and divisions involved with different aspects nf
the stnnnvvaterutility and its administration, planning, 0&M, infrastructure, and funding, including the
City Manager's and City Attorney's offices, Community Development, Finance, Utility Billing, Systems
Engineering, and Transportation, among others. Currently, there isnoidentified stormvvaterutility
"line" manager responsible for day-to-day oversight and improvement of the entire multi -divisional
program. Asthe old saying goes,vvheneveryoneisinchaqge—nuoneisincharge. There are not
currently provisions for periodic (say, bi-annual or annual) regular coordination meetings among these
support staff, sothat current procedures can be discussed, any inter- orintra-departmenta| issues
identified, and performance and enhancement measures monitored. Without anidentified and focused
manager and "champion" of the utility, the existing stormwater utility processes, underlying data
quality, and policies have somewhat languished for the last lSyears.
The stormwater utility has viably operated for 15 years and provided continuing support in addressing
the City's drainage and water quality issues, but it is long overdue for its "5,000 mile check-up." it is
commendable that the current re -study effort was initiated by Staff, who has been forthright in terms of
cooperation and identifying areas ofneeded improvement.
When Reviewed. The calculation of impervious cover for stormwater billing purposes should be derived
from the last set of construction plans available to the City.
| Form tmbeCompleted. While the definition ofimpervious cover would bedifferent for the
L- land/building approval process versus that used for stonnvvoterbilling, the builder submitting this
( Update of Municipal StnrmmmterUblitv 4'2
Data, Processes, and Policies Faq
Attachment number
� Page 18of3O
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
| information should only have to complete one form that is adequate for both purposes. 4
recommended form isincluded inAppendix A. From this form, Staff can readily produce the separate
-` totals needed ineach instance. Aseparate comment space iaalso provided toindicate any special
( considerations, such as a new non-residential project that may span across multiple parcels or that it is a
redevelopment project at an existing service address.
Data Recordation and Transmittal. For existing development, HDRhas provided the City with its
"working" spreadsheet that includes various detail on each existing utility account or new stormwater-
onlyaccount,theamnountofestimatedinnperviouscover,cndesastnitsbiUin8e|i8ibUity,cabu!ated
billing units, and special notes indicating where impervious cover may have been combined across
multiple parcels, where impervious cover for a parcel was pro -rated to each of multiple units, etc.
� For new development or redevelopment, the information from the Appendix A form should be entered
into a shared or accessible file space, so that it is readily retrievable if an appeal is filed, for audit
purposes, or for possible comparison purposes with the next general update of the stormwaterbilling
database. This information should be made available to customer billing within two weeks of the
impervious cover determination, so that it may be considered in the opening of a new account or
revision to an existing account.
Determination mfBilling Status. Once this development review information isreceived incustomer
billing, several determinations concerning its stormwater billing status must be made including:
EY&gBbX/tx The new development orredevelopment isexempt, if itis/a\outside the city limits,
or (b) property owned by a public or private institution of higher learning, or (c) has less than
50Usqftofimpervious cover unthe tax parcel. This is a consideration subsequent to and
separate and apart from whether a land cover is deemed impervious or not.
Customer Class Status. |fthe new development orredevelopment issingle family detached or
single family attached (up to and including apartment buildings), it is considered residential. All
other eligible land uses are considered non-residentiai
Billing Units Each eligible residential dwelling unit will be assigned one (1) ERLI or billing unit
per dwelling unit. Each eligible non- residential development shall be assigned the greater of
one (1) ERU or the amount of eligible impervious cover calculated for that development divided
by the average impervious cover reflected in one ERU, rounded to the nearest one -tenth. The
City may exercise its discretion in whether to aggregate impervious cover across several
associated parcels in the calculation of the number ofbillable non-residential ERUs.
Consolidated Billing or Not. Asamatter ofpolicy, the City should not provide separate
stormwater billing to tenants of attached office, commercial, or industrial space. In this
instance, the calculated stormwater bill should be made to the owner of the property regardless
nfany other metering orbilling arrangement for other services. The City, atits discretion, may
allow for consolidated stonnvvater billing ofmultiple parcels to a single owner.
| Update of 4�
' ` v�
Du�,�nc�s�,and Po��s ~��~��
Attachment number
| Page 0of3O
(
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
� Initial Billing Date. 4aamatter ofdav-to-daypolicy, kwould bepreferable tncommence the
start of stormwater service on the date of issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy along with
- the recommended provision of the as -built plans and final impervious cover determination.
However, some residential or non-residential properties may experience delays in obtaining the
' C.8.oritmay beatype nfdevelopment for which no[O.ioissued. inthese instances, itshould
| be left to the discretion of the Customer Billing Division as to when to commence the initial start
|
ofnew orrevised billing.
- Aswith most other utilities, the City should consider the stormwaterbilling inarrears, that is, a
� current charge rendered for the past month ofservice. For residential property that isvacating
and will not be charged during the vacancy, a partial month's stormwater service may need to
be pro -rated on the final bill. For attached commercial vacancies, pro -rated bills would be
� mostly averted as the City would be billing the owner, ratherthan a succession of tenants.
( 4.2.2 Periodic Updates of Billing Database, Policies, and Processes
�
�
Even with the current update of the impervious cover information and close monitoring of the
development and redevelopment process for continuing updates of the billing database, there is still a
� need to conduct a periodic, more comprehensive review and update of the stormwater billing basis and
�
processes. Not all changes inland cover are going tobereported toorobserved bvthe City.
. Smaller structures or land cover may appear or disappear without City approval or even needing
approval. In effect, the periodic "snapshot" of data and upkeep of the snapshot still ages over time.
' Additionally, it is always valuable to have a periodic third -party quality control check and policy and
process review. Regardless of best intentions, complacency can grow over time, processes can stray
� from their original design, and data problems can accumulate undetected over time, especially when the
information is most often viewed in a single -record database format.
! HDR would recommend a comprehensive data and process review and update of the stormwater utility
� atleast every 5to7years.
There will becustomer appeals. There are thousands ofutility accounts and thousands ofparcels with
numerous instances of conflicting information between the different databases used in the updating
process. Not every account could be field checked or manually verified, in which case, best judgment
was used.
WCAD's parcel line GIS coverage did not accurately overlay the digital aerial imagery in all parts of town.
While the more egregious parcel line problems were manually corrected before the amount of
impervious cover was electronically determined, some error still remains.
Also inthis current effort, changing policies, anupdated customer base, and re -assessment ofERU
values for non-residential customers will create changes in customer bills, which could generate
customer inquiries orappeals. Customers classified asresidential (SFR,mobile homes, and duplexes to
fourplexes) will now consistently receive a charge of I ERU per dwelling unit. Non-residential customers
(everything else that is eligible) will now be consistently billed based on the number of ERUs determined
from the amount ofmeasured impervious cover attheir location. Now, the City will beonly sending a
consolidated stormwater bill to the owner of attached office and commercial lease space, rather than
Update ofMunicipal StormwoterUtility 44
Data, Processes, and Policies IM
Attachment number
( Page 21of3O
|,
City qƒGeorgetown, Texas
� individual tenants. Also, some entities will now be receiving a stormwater bill for the first time, due to
their identification as a stormwater-only customer or their reclassification as being located inside the
— city limits. Finally, the measurement of impervious cover for non-residential land uses has been
( updated, which may vary from the original estimate.
_ After consultation with City Staff, it is recommended that stormwater customer billing appeals be
� limited tothree types:
�
1. Inaccurate account information, including customer information, initiation/terminationof
service date orstatus ofpayment, etc;
2. Improper customer class identification; or
3. Amount ofbillable units for non-residential stormvxatercustonoers.
With respect to the third category of appeal, a customer information sheet (see example in Appendix Q
would be provided to customer inquiries about the number of billable units that discusses how the
stormwater customer class status is determined, and if non-residential, how the impervious cover
amount was estimated, and how the number of billing ERUs was determined. Also, potential sources of
error will bediscussed. Finally, if the customer wishes to proceed with an appeal as to the number of
biUab|eERUs, the information sheet will make clear that if the property is re -measured and a different
number of ERLIs is determined, the revised billable ERUs will be incorporated into future billing,
regardless ofwhether itisfavorable tnthe customer ornot.
Aspart ofpossible changes tothe stornnmaterutility ordinance, it isrecommended that the City
Manager "or his/her designee" [language to be added] be responsible for deciding an initial appeal, but
still leaving in place, the possibility of a subsequent appeal to the City Council. |twould bethe intent of
this change to have the Customer Billing Manager serve as the day-to-day decision -maker on appeals.
In order to facilitate resolution of appeals, as well as an everyday tool for evaluating billing issues,
selected customer service representatives need to be provided ready access to Arc Reader software,
certain G/Scoverages, and receive adequate training inits use. With this capability, the customer
service representative can locate a service address(es) in context of the digital imagery, the parcel lines,
and areas identified asimpervious. 8yconsulting notations for existing development inthe support
spreadsheet provided by HDR or accessing notated comments on the form to be completed by new
development or redevelopment, the customer service representative may also gather additional
information onhow the account was considered for billing purposes.
A stormwater utility manager position should be designated and given the authority and responsibility
for line -level management and oversight ofthis utility service. 4apreviously discussed, the stonnvvater
utility function spans many issues, multiple departments, and multiple divisions of the City, and a likely
reason for policies, processes, and data quality "drifting" over the years has been the lack of an on -going
"champion" to manage and monitor performance, resolve issues at an intra-andintepdepartnnenta|
level, or effectively elevate relevant issues to the attention of higher -level managers for consideration
and action.
Asalso previously mentioned, eperiodic (say biannua|orannual) inter -departmental coordination
meeting of key stormwater utility support staff is also warranted to discuss performance, ensure
consistency and efficiency, identify issues and means of resolution, and status of any outstanding
' assignments.
Update ufMunicipal StormwmterUtility 4'5
Data, Processes, and Policies Hiq
Attachment number
Page 22 of3O
City ufGeorgetown, Texas
5.0 ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 STORMWATER(DRAINAGE)UTILITY ORDINANCE
An array of various revisions is needed for Chapter 13.28 (Drainage Utility) of the City's Code of
Ordinances. HDR has worked with City staff to prepare a mark-up copy of suggested ordinance changes
for review bythe City Attorney'sand City Manager's offices. These changes include various editorial
revisions, clarification of language, new and more specific definitions, clarification of how billable units
are calculated, consideration of consolidated billing or not, a listing of exempt classes of property, and
updates tothe appeals process. Consideration should also begiven toinclusion ofaspecific list nftypes
of land cover to be considered as impervious cover for stormwater billing purposes.
The City should also consider changes tothe UDC, the including inclusion ofa specific list of types of
land cover to be considered as impervious cover for platting and building permit approval purposes.
Also, the City should considering requiring, prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, the
submittal of as -built plans with the correct final amounts of impervious cover by cover type identified on
the proper form.
Update of Municipal Stonnmxz&erUd8tv 5-1
Data, Processes, and Policies H R
Item #/\
Attachment number 2
Page 23 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
Update of Municipal Storrnwater Utility A-1
Data, Processes, and Policies m
Item # A
Attachment number 2
Page 24 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
IMPERVIOUS COVER WORKSHEEf
Applicant's Name:
Contact Person:
Phone Number.
Project Name:
Dev. Review Tracking ID:
Located on Tax Parcel ID Number(s):
Directions: Add the square footage amount of each relevant land cover
into each yellow -colored cell,
LandCover
Square
impervious Cover
MAN
ncrete an
-
ME
!s!n
t #
Airstrips and Land Zones
Aprons and Tax ways
Water& WW Treatment Structures
! „
WatarT
Stadium Seating
Stadium Grass/Turf (artificial)
Docks, Pier� and Bridges
Marinas
NO
Xerisopping Crushed Granite
gravestones,
Total for UDC Purposes
Total for SWU Purposes
Update of Municipal Stour water Utility A-2
Data, Processes, and Policies Hiq
Item # A
Attachment number 2
Page 25 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
APPE11DIX ;
r
DEFINITION OF is CODES
IN THE HDR BILLING DATABASE SPREADSHEET
Update of Municipal Stormwater Utility B-1
Data, Processes, and Policies q
Item # A
QCz
�0
'o m
ro �
n•
cep
EKPLANANTION OF KEY
DATABASE FIELD CODES
Field
Name Code Explanation
Comment
Seance Type EA Existing City Utility Account Utility account already exists; stormwater service
SWO New Stormwater-Only Account New utility, account must be created to
may or may not need to be added;billable units may be revised.
accommodate
Class Type SFD Single Family Detached
DUP Duplex
the stomrwater charge.
t
TRI Triplex
FOUR Fourplex Considered residential for billing; purposes
MOB Mobile Nome
CIT Condominium or Town; Nome
NR Non -Residential All other eligible land uses considered Non -Residential
NC No Charge Other no charge accounts associated with a billable
and assigned 1 ERU (or Billing Unit) per Dwelling Unit; Also, 1 ERU = 3,500 sq it
for billing purposes and assigned No. of ERUs = Total Impervious Cover for Parcel(s)13,500 sq It
stormwater account that reflects the aggregated billing.
EX Exempt Exempt from stormwater charge under State law.
N
Ci
t�
rp
iJ
� N
853
...
W �
3
a
m
r tV
Attachment number 2
Page 27 of 30
City of Georgetown, Texas
Update of Municipal Stormwater Utility C-1
Data, Processes, and Policies
Item # A
Attachment number
Page 28 of3O
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
Wormation Related to Appeals
Property and associated land cover will be considered eligible for stormwater billing if:
1. It is within the City limits.
2. hiswithin aparcel boundary that isnot aportion ofthe public hg.
3. It is owned by a person or entity other than a public or private institution of higher education.
4. it has land cover considered impervious in an amount above 500 square feet.
5. The eligible land cover on eligible parcels includes:
a. The rooftop area ofbuildings and out-buiWings;
b. Roadways, driveways, sidewalks, and parking areas paved with concrete or asphalt;
c. Patios and decks made ofconcrete, wood nrother materials;
d. Airstrips, landing zones, aprons and taxiways associated with airports;
e. Tank farms;
[ Utility substations, treatment plants, and other utility structures including pads, but not
including open water portions ofstructures ortransmitter tnwers\;
g. Recreational facilities and structures, except gravel park hiking and biking trails, ponds,
fountains and other open water containment; and
h. Railroad structures
' Customer Class Definitions and Billing Units
There are three stormwater customer classes: residential, non-residential, and exempt.
� 1 ���7d�nt}�/stVnnvvatercus�onmersinc|udeasin�|efamoi/ydetachedanda��chedhousin8
| ' '
a. Residential property iaassigned one /1\Billing Unit per dwelling unit.
/ 2. Non-residential stomnwatercustorners include all other eligible land uses.
� a. The number ofBilling Units for non-residential property is determined bvthe total
eligible impervious cover onthe non-residential parcel (or related parcels) divided by
� 2,OOOsquare foot, rounded tothe nearest one -tenth ofabilling unit.
! 3. Exempt properties include lands owned by public and private institutions of higher learning, as
provided byState law.
Allowed Appeals
5tnnnvvaterbilling appeals may bemade only for the following reasons:
1. Inaccurate account information, including customer information, initiation/ternninationof
service date orstatus ofpayment, etc.;
2. Improper customer class identification (residential versus non-residential status); or
3. Amount ofbillable units for non-residential stnnnvvatercustomers.
1. The customer first reviews the information on this sheet and decides if he/she wants to proceed
with anappeal.
|
L_ Update ofMunicipal Jtornvm/oterUtility C'2
Data, Processes, and Policies
`
_
Attachment number 2
| Page 29 of3O
i,
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
2. Ifso, then the customer should fill out the attached appeals form.
3. If an appeal is made as to (a) customer class status and/or (b) the number of billable units for
non-residential customers, the resulting re -determination of the stormwater billing units will
stand as the customer's basis for future stormwater billing, whetherfavorable to the customer
or not, until such time as future changes in land use cover or customer class status may warrant
further adjustments.
4. Acustomer service representative will review the appeal and make a preliminary
recommendation tothe Customer Billing Manager.
5. The Customer Billing Manager, the City Managers designee, will make the decision onthe
appeal and coordinate that finding with the customer.
6. As a last recourse, the customer may also elevate the appeal to the City Council, as provided in
Chapter 13.29ofthe City'sCode nfOrdinances.
Update of Municipal StormwoterUtility C-3
Data, Processes, and Policies H ��
Item #/\
Attachment number
Page 30 of3O
City ofGeorgetown, Texas
STORMWATER UTILITY BILLING
APPEALS FORM
Customer Name:
Customer Service Address:
City, State, ZIP Code:
Contact Phone Number:
Ownership Status (check appropriate blankd: {}w�l Rent
Land
Structures
Land Use Type (check one):
Asingle family detached orattached dwelling unit.
Other type of land use.
� Basis for Appea|(check one ormore):
Inaccurate account information, including customer information, initiation/termination of
service date orstatus nfpayment, e1c.;
Improper customer class identification (residential versus non-residential status); or
Amount ofbillable units for non-residential stornnm/atercustonnen.
Other information or comments:
Update of Municipal StnrrowoterUtility C4
Data, Processes, and Policies Hiq
Item #/\
City of Georgetown, Texas
October 25, 2011
SUBJECT:
Presentation, discussion, and possible direction to staff regarding the City of Georgetown's Benefits and
Compensation recommendations -- Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources & Civil Service and Paul E.
Brandenburg, City Manager
ITEM SUMMARY:
Benefits:
HR Staff and the Benefits Committee, has reviewed the proposals from the providers for insurance
coverage. The process involved joint HR staff and the committee reviewing information on the current plan
and identifying ways to maintain a competitive benefits program while minimizing plan cost
increases. Additionally, to ensure the City remains competitive with its benefits, City contributions were also
looked at and recommendations for increases and/or continuation/elimination of supplements/contributions
are being made in the following areas:
Dependent/Family Supplement
Opt Out Supplement
HSA Contribution
Council Action will be required to authorize City supplements and/or incentives, and to authorize the City to
enter into benefits contracts.
Compensation HR Staff has been reviewing the City's Pay System and its ability to support the Council's
current philosophy to attract, retain and reward its employees based on performance.
Currently for the fiscal year:
COLA — Proposed no increase for the current fiscal year.
Merit Based Pay — No salary range movement proposed in current budget for the current fiscal year.
Performance Based Pay Bonus — No monies earmarked for bonus payouts for the current fiscal year.
Market Adjustments — no adjustments budgeted for the current fiscal year.
HR Staff reviews the competitiveness of the pay system and makes recommendations through City
management to Council for implementation of any changes.
Current competitor City of Round Rock Retirement
Retiree Health Insurance — possible ability to offer current employee rates for retirees.
Military Service Credit — This provision allows employees who have earned at least 5 years of
creditable service in TMRS (from participating municipalities), to purchase up to one month of Military
Service Credit for each month of active duty military service, up to a maximum of five (5) years, and apply
this credit toward retirement eligibility.
The budget was presented with a 1.5% increase in Benefits. Staff has worked to come up with a
recommendation that stays within the increases allowed for in the budget.
SUBMITTED BY:
Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources & Civil Service
ATTACHMENTS:
Best and Final Plans
Council Presentation
Cover Memo
Item # B
Attachment number 1
Page 1 of 14
Item # B
1
Attachment number 1
Page 2 of 14
Item # B
2
Attachment number 1
Page 3 of 14
Item # B
Attachment number 1
Page 4 of 14
National Survey coat.
�r
Deduttibte # PPO Pleas
Mai
27
5i `thi. t�t j i
% S
xkZi...
3n WO—k #rrl 5r fde^*wcMi vj
St
iFdu vaams ux u+> 4.'a�*3 aax Mnas�
z{4�
Item # B
I
Attachment number 1
Page 5 of 14
National Survey cost.
National Survey coat.
Item # B
R
Attachment number 1
Page 6 of 14
National Survey cost.
Item # B
C01
Attachment number 1
Page 7 of 14
National Survey cost.
Mont* Employee contribution - PPO pl n'
National Survey coat.
MOMMY Pwnlurn - CDHP Plans
Item # B
w
Attachment number 1
Page 8 of 14
National Survey cost.
MOOMY EMP10YOO C ntfi on - WHIP Putts
City of Georgetown
Current Rate Structure
tandard Plan
Partici a�
Employee -
116
EE + Child(ren)
44
EE + Spouse
13
EE/Family
24
197
TML. High Deductible Plan
Employee
-98_
EE + Children)
58
EE + Spouse
-14
EE/Family
51
221
$341.62 $341.62 $0.00
$585,78 ----- $476.23 $109.55
$746.06 $476.23 $269.83
$325.56
$325.56
$0.00
$475.06
$434.56
$40.50 -
$621.46
$434.56
$186.90
$864.56 ----
$584.56
$280.00
Item # B
Attachment number 1
Page 9 of 14
Healthcare Utilization
�naasltR�. 13P8H �4bx1
ise iiear3 �n¢�xl&matMwq id$93CilL4IDtMq iPRV Ifz�mklk[6ti ideinsxAQY 44c[i#�Y9 kC$67[�{14
�m+�asai3.am.
TML Administrative Charges - %
Item # B
9
Attachment number 1
Page 10 of 14
Item # B
O
Attachment number 1
Page 11 of 14
Item # B
11
Attachment number 1
Page 12 of 14
Item # B
IN
Attachment number 1
Page 13 of 14
Item # B
13
Attachment number 1
Page 14 of 14
Item # B
An-hmenr number 2
Page i of BCBSTX(1)
Eo oo : SAS]tl(t
$199ss $638s
E92 462 8
E18,482 810,254 E21,180
$221,5441 $171.050 4
$254, 154
Item # B
An-hmenr number 2
a69ezof2 HUMANA(3)
EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION
Employee Only 1B $0.00 r 4b,41R
Empoyee CM1 U(ren) 58 W Y,
Employees 3pouso 14 $166.9p'4&.82
Em b eet F—1 51 $2'l9.96 tl
_"y 96,83
Premium 221 $1%241 $16,493
Annual Premium $23V,866 $12
F'crs.enEa Y-H ncmAncraaso 96,83
Item # B
City of Georgetown, Texas
October 25, 2011
SUBJECT:
Discussion related to the renewal of the Solid Waste and Recycling contract with Texas Disposal Systems
(TDS) amending the contract rates and services as presented to address customer requested service upgrades,
market rate increases, and facilitate a new revenue source -- Kathy Ragsdale, Environmental and
Conservation Services Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager
ITEM SUMMARY:
ITEM SUMMARY
The current contract with TDS became effective in October 2007, with an initial 5 year term and the
possibility of 3 additional five-year extensions. The current contract expires September 2012 and TDS has
formally requested a renewal of the service contract.
Through negotiations with TDS to upgrade terms and conditions of the current contract, staff put emphasis
on the following:
Requests and preferences presented by customers and respondents to the Solid Waste and Recycling
Survey
Services and objectives identified by City Council
Service identified in 4.0 G of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan
The contract being proposed has incorporated the following services and amendments:
Additional recyclables accepted at the curb
Single Stream Recycling for all residential customers
Market driven rate changes for commercial dumpsters
Expanded use of the Transfer Station to provide an additional revenue source
Choice of residential service packages.
No rate increase for small commercial customers with carts
The proposed amended contract offers a choice of 3 residential packages, in order to provide customers
options that more closely fit their lifestyle and personal preferences. The packages that are included are:
A basic package, with the essential garbage and recycling services. These fundamental services are
included in all three options.
A practical package that adds curbside bulky waste pickup to the basic services.
A robust package that includes both curbside pickup and Collection Station drop-off.
Services that are not included in your individual package choice can still be purchased on an "as used" basis.
GUS BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
This item was approved 3-1-2 (Sattler opposed; Beach, Eason absent) by the GUS Board for Council
approval at the October 14, 2011, GUS Board meeting.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends a 5-year renewal of the TDS contract, with the proposed amendments to the contract, as
presented.
COMMENTS:
The opportunity to utilize the Transfer Station as a revenue source is only feasible with TDS as our Solid
Waste contractor. This service is not of value to any other contractors.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
A renewal of the TDS Contract will provide the City with a new and immediate revenue source of $20,000 Cover Memo
annually, through the expanded use of the Transfer Station by TDS. Additionally, the City will avoid the
$50,000 cost of developing and evaluating an RFP. Item # C
0 110.3U �
Kathy Ragsdale, Environmental and Conservation Services Director
ATTACHMENTS:
TDS Completed Compare for Public
TDS Solid Waste Matrix for Public Corrected
TDS Area Landfill Map
TDS Commercial Dumpster Comparison
Cover Memo
Item # C
Residential Packages
3 RESIDENTIAL PACKAGES TO CHOSE FROM: FYI....3x3x3
= 27 - 30 gallon craft bags
THE PHILOSOPHY HERE IS NO BAGS ON THE GROUND
TDS sells Bag Tags and Lawn Bags
CURRENT RES PACKAGE
$14.35
BASIC PACKAGE
$15.00
GARBAGE
96 GALLON CART
CURBSIDE
1 x WKLY
SINGLE STREAM
ANY SIZE CART
CURBSIDE
EO Week
GREEN WASTE
UNLIMITED GRASS & LEAVES IN CRAFT BAGS
CURBSIDE
BY APPT
2 x YRLY
AND 3x3x3 OF BRUSH
GREEN PACKAGE
$17.00
GARBAGE
96 GALLON CART
CURBSIDE
1 x WKLY
SINGLE STREAM
ANY SIZE CART
CURBSIDE
EO Week
GREEN WASTE
UNLIMITED GRASS & LEAVES IN CRAFT BAGS
CURBSIDE
BY APPT
2 x YRLY
AND 3x3x3 OF BRUSH
BULKY WASTE
3x3x3
CURBSIDE
BY APPT
2 x YRLY
GREEN PLUS PACKAGE
$20.00
GARBAGE
96 GALLON CART
CURBSIDE
1 x WKLY
SINGLE STREAM
ANY SIZE CART
CURBSIDE
EO Week
GREEN WASTE
UNLIMITED GRASS & LEAVES IN CRAFT BAGS
CURBSIDE
BY APPT
2 x YRLY
AND 3x3x3 OF BRUSH
BULKY WASTE
8x8x8
CURBSIDE
BY APPT
2 x YRLY
BULKY WASTE
3x3x3 COLLECTION STA
DROP OFF
4 x YRLY
Item # C
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Attachment number 3
Page 1 of 1
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errair rnarginig and direction data Q2008 NAVTEQ. All rights reserved. The Data for areas of Canada includes Information taker unth pe niaalon door Canadian authroitCe lie 9 #oC
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raserved. Tell Ades and Tale Alias Norio America are tradernarks of Tele Atlas, Inc, 0 2008 by Applied Geographic System,. All rights reserved.
Attachment number 4
Sheets Page 1 of 1
COMMERCIAL DUMPSTER COMPARISON
City
Markup
CITY
Date
2CY
3CY
4CY
6CY
8CY
10 GY
Comments
TDS Open Market
Varies
10/17/11
92.97
102.17
106.54
125.18
134.43
174.94
Current
TDS San Marcos Open
5.0%
10/17/11
76.37
107.02
100.61
121.51
129.55
170.94
Current
Clawson -Leander
10.0%
10/1/11
54.16
57.94
76.83
95.73
118.40
138.55
Current
Clawson -Leander
10.0%
10/1/12
56.06
59.97
79.52
99.08
122.54
143.40
Effective 10-1-12 (Proj.)
TDS -Buda
10.0%
10/1/11
62.70
71.50
78.10
103.40
123.20
165.00
Current
1GT Com DUMPSTER RETAIL.xlsx 10/19/2011 Item # C 1/1
City of Georgetown, Texas
October 25, 2011
SUBJECT:
Sec. 551.071: Consultation with Attorney
- Advise from attorney about pending litigation that has been filed against the City or contemplated litigation
and other matters on which the attorney has a duty to advise the City Council, including but not limited to
this week's agenda items
- TDS Contract
ITEM SUMMARY:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Cover Memo
Item # D
City of Georgetown, Texas
October 25, 2011
SUBJECT:
Sec. 551.086: Competitive Matters
- LCRA Contract
ITEM SUMMARY:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
SUBMITTED BY:
Cover Memo
Item # E
City of Georgetown, Texas
October 25, 2011
SUBJECT:
Sec. 551.087: Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations
- Discussions or deliberations regarding commercial or financial information that the governmental body has
received from a business prospect that the City Council seeks to have locate, stay or expand in or near the
territory of the City and with which the City Council is conducting economic development negotiations; or to
deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect that the City Council seeks to have
locate, stay or expand in or near the territory of the City and with which the City Council is conducting
economic development negotiations.
- Project Fuse
Cover Memo
Item # F
Notice of Meeting of the
Governing Body of the
City of Georgetown, Texas
OCTOBER 25, 2011
The Georgetown City Council will meet on OCTOBER 25, 2011 at 3:00 P.M. at the Council Chambers at
101 E. 7th Street
If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance.
Policy Development/Review Workshop -
A Discussion and possible direction to staff on proposed amendments to the Stormwater Utility and
Drainage Fee -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager and Mick] Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
B Presentation, discussion, and possible direction to staff regarding the City of Georgetown's Benefits and
Compensation recommendations -- Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources & Civil Service and
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
C Discussion related to the renewal of the Solid Waste and Recycling contract with Texas Disposal Systems
(TDS) amending the contract rates and services as presented to address customer requested service
upgrades, market rate increases, and facilitate a new revenue source -- Kathy Ragsdale, Environmental
and Conservation Services Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager
Executive Session
In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes,
Annotated, the items listed below will be discussed in closed session and are subject to action in the regular
session.
D Sec. 551.071: Consultation with Attorney
- Advice from attorney about pending litigation that has been filed against the City or contemplated
litigation and other matters on which the attorney has a duty to advise the City Council, including but not
limited to this week's agenda items
- TDS Contract
E Sec. 551.086: Competitive Matters
- LCRA Contract
F Sec. 551.087: Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations
- Discussions or deliberations regarding commercial or financial information that the governmental body
has received from a business prospect that the City Council seeks to have locate, stay or expand in or near
the territory of the City and with which the City Council is conducting economic development
negotiations: or to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect that the City
Council seeks to have locate, stay or expand in or near the territory of the City and with which the City
Council is conducting economic development negotiations.
- Project Fuse
Adjournment
Certificate of Posting
1, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of
Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all
times, on the _ day of C0 C-9 6PA' , 2011, atop: 50rM, and remained so posted for at least
72 c sinuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting.
Jes a Brettle, City retary