The following press release by The City of Georgetown, TX
Georgetown, TX: – To better plan for future growth and manage rising costs, the Georgetown City Council has called a May 2 election to decide on the sale of the City’s water service territory located outside of the city limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Transferring areas outside of Georgetown’s city limits and ETJ to a private water provider is expected to result in a 60 percent reduction in the amount of water Georgetown will need to purchase by 2070. This significant reduction in water demand is expected to save the Water Utility hundreds of millions of dollars in water and infrastructure costs in the coming decades.
“The City of Georgetown Water Utility was created to serve city residents,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “Today, our water service territory extends far outside of our city limits into the ETJs of several neighboring communities. The proposed sale would significantly reduce our long-term needs and expenses as both water and infrastructure become increasingly expensive for all Texas cities. The proposed sale will help stabilize rates for Georgetown residents and businesses long-term.”
Today, 40 percent of the Water Utility’s customers live outside of the city limits and Georgetown’s ETJ, in once rural areas that are projected to rapidly develop in the coming years. The City has no ability to manage growth in these areas but must legally provide water to residents and businesses that request service.
The City is proposing to sell water service territory within the ETJs of Florence, Liberty Hill, and Salado while keeping all of its service territory within Georgetown’s city limits and ETJ.
After a competitive RFP process, the City selected National Utility Infrastructure as the proposed buyer and future water provider, subject to approval by Georgetown voters and the Texas Public Utility Commission.
“NUI has proven experience and the financial resources needed to secure water, build new infrastructure and stabilize rates for customers in the transferred area,” City Manager David Morgan said. “We are confident all customers will be in good hands.”
Georgetown has agreed to provide NUI with wholesale water for up to 10 years.
In addition to the proposed water territory sale to NUI, Georgetown has also agreed to transfer service territory within the ETJ’s of Killeen and Jarrell to those cities. These municipal transfers do not require voter approval under state law because the undeveloped areas do not yet have any water customers or infrastructure.
Additional information about Georgetown’s Water Utility is available online.
Election Day is May 2. Early voting runs from April 20-28. Polling places, dates, and times are available on Williamson County’s elections page.
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