Council adopts wastewater development impact fee to fund plant expansion

Middleton's City Council on July 15 adopted Ordinance 722 to create a wastewater development impact fee intended to ensure "growth pays for growth" as the city expands its wastewater treatment capacity.

Sheridan Sylvester of Clearwater Financial, the consultant on the study, told the council the largest project (Project A) has an estimated cost of about $72.5 million and that roughly 18.27% of that cost (about $13.2 million) is allocable to growth. "Impact fees are specifically to help growth pay for growth," Sylvester said during the presentation. Dividing the growth‑share by the additional capacity for growth (about 1,803 EDUs) produced a maximum fee estimate of about $7,300 per EDU; council may choose a lower fee in implementation.

Cameron Ariel, the city's municipal adviser, emphasized legal limits and procedures for impact fees, including annual monitoring and a statutorily required review every five years. Council members pressed staff on timing, whether impact fees could be used for maintenance (staff said they generally cannot), and how projected EDUs relate to current utility capacity. Following debate and public comment, council member motioned to approve the new wastewater development impact fee; the motion passed by unanimous roll call (Council President Walter, and council members Christian, Anderson and Grinder voted yes).