Policies, Rules & Rates : Other Fees
Other Fees
1. Stormwater Drainage Fee- $2.00 per month, per water LUE, per service connection (The calculation of Stormwater Drainage Fees based on LUEs shall expire December 31, 2024.)
Effective January 1, 2025, Stormwater Drainage Fee- $2.00 per month, per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), to be calculated by the methodology set forth here.
2. Meter Deposits-
a. Single family residence Meter Deposit - $100.00 per LUE.
b. Commercial or Irrigation Meter Deposit - $200.00 per LUE.
c. Temporary Meter Deposit (fire hydrant) - $1,000.00.
3. Service Administration Fee for New Service Connections, Service Disconnections and Transfer of Service Requested by a Customer (specifically excluding service calls associated with water leaks and termination of service for nonpayment)- A $30.00 Service Administration Fee is applicable to each service connection, disconnection, or transfer of service (including fire hydrants connections and excluding service disconnection for leak incidents).
All services are scheduled for the next business day during regular business hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday. Services scheduled for such periods will incur no additional fees or charges.
Customers may request same-day, holiday, or after-hours service. All such service requests will incur surcharges in addition to the $30.00 Services Administration Fee as follows:
a. Same-day Service Request Surcharge- Applicable to service scheduled the same day as the request between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.- Additional $90.00 Service Administration Fee.
b. Weekends or Holiday Service Request Surcharge- Applicable to service scheduled between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends or holidays- Additional $60.00 Service Administration Fee.
c. After Hours Service Request Surcharge for service requested after 5:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m.- Additional $60.00 Service Administration Fee.
NOTE: The foregoing charges are cumulative. By way of example, a person that schedules same-day service on a holiday and after hours would be subject to the $30.00 Service Administration Fee, an additional $90.00 Same Day Service Surcharge, an additional $60.00 Holiday Service Request Surcharge, and the $60.00 After Hours Service Request Surcharge.
4. Service Calls Associated with Water System Leaks-
Any service disconnection or connection associated with water leaks and performed between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.- No charge
Any service disconnection or connection associated with water leaks and performed outside of standard business hours (8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.)- $60.00 Service Administration Fee.
5. Late Payment Fee – 10% of past due balance (Charged if payment is not received on or before the 25th day after the billing date each month except as provided below with respect to extreme weather emergencies).
6. Termination of Service for Nonpayment-
$30.00 Service Administration Fee for processing disconnection will be issued to all past due accounts as of 12:00 a.m. on the day of the disconnects.
Notice of termination will be issued after imposition of the Late Payment Fee. The notice of termination will specify the date of termination of service if payment of the past due amount is not received in full, which service termination date will be not less than ten (10) days after the date of issuance of the Termination Notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing and as provided below, service will not be terminated during extreme weather emergencies.
a. To restore service, the past due balance (including Late Fees) must be paid.
b. A $30.00 Service Administration Fee to reconnect will be applied to a customer’s account. (This fee is not required to be paid as a condition of reconnection of service, but will be charged to a customer’s account.)
c. All service reconnections are scheduled for the next business day during regular business hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday. Reconnection scheduling requests for all other times will incur surcharges in addition to the $30.00 Service Administration Fee. These reconnect scheduling fees are stackable and will be issued to the account. Surcharges for reconnection scheduling are as follows:
Customers may request same-day, holiday, or after-hours service reconnections. All such service requests will incur surcharges in addition to the $30.00 Services Administration Fee as follows:
a. Same-day Service Reconnection Surcharge- Applicable to reconnection of service scheduled the same day as the request between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. - Additional $90.00 Service Administration Fee.
b. Weekends or Holidays Service Reconnection Surcharge- Applicable to reconnection of service scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekends or holidays- Additional $60.00 Service Administration Fee.
c. After Hours Service Request Surcharge for reconnection of service scheduled after 5:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m. - Additional $60.00 Service Administration Fee.
NOTE: The foregoing charges are cumulative. By way of example, a person that requests reconnection of service on the same day, on a holiday, and after hours would be subject to the $30.00 Service Administration Fee, an additional $90.00 Same Day Service Surcharge, an additional $60.00 Holiday Service Request Surcharge, and the $60.00 After Hours Service Request Surcharge.
7. Malfunctioning Meter – in the event of a malfunctioning meter, consumption shall be computed on the basis of the average monthly amount of water used by the customer during the preceding three months. In the event the preceding three-month consumption is unavailable, the consumption will be deemed to be the 7,000 gallons of water usage per month.
8. NSF Fee (Returned Check, Credit Card Chargeback or Returned Direct Draft Fee) - $30.00 per occurrence
9. Data Logs Charge – upon customer request, two logs are provided free of charge per calendar year. Additional data logs - $25.00 each
10. Regulatory Assessment- The District shall charge each customer any regulatory assessment required by the TCEQ.
11. Drought Surcharge- The following surcharges shall apply to all water consumption by all retail customers during Drought and Emergency Water Management Stages implemented pursuant to the District's Drought and Emergency Water Management Plan in order to achieve the percentage reductions in daily water demand associated with each stage (as identified in the Drought and Emergency Water Management Plan):
a. Stage 1- $0.00 per 1,000 gallons
b. Stage 2- $0.00 per 1,000 gallons
c. Stage 3- $0.00 per 1,000 gallons
12. Emergency Management and Hazard Mitigation Fee- $0.75 per single family residential service connection per month (including each duplex unit) effective April 1, 2025.
The Emergency Management and Hazard Mitigation Fee shall be utilized to establish a reserve for, and to otherwise fund, emergency response and hazard mitigation services including tree and debris removal on District lands, providing residential brush drop-off collection and disposal services during extraordinary storm events, and shaded fuel break fire mitigation services on District lands.
13. Land Management and Park Maintenance Fee: $9.00 per active service connection per month effective April 1, 2025.
The Land Management and Park Maintenance Fee contributes to the cost of development and maintenance of District park and recreational facilities, including parklands, amenities, and recreational programming pursuant to Section 49.464 of the Texas Water Code.
Extreme Weather Emergencies
1. In accordance with Texas Water Code §13.151 and Public Utility Commission (PUC) Rule §24.173, the District will not charge a Late Payment Fee or disconnect retail water or sewer service of a customer for nonpayment of a bill that is due during an extreme weather emergency until after the extreme weather emergency is over. For purposes of this Rate Order, an “extreme weather emergency” shall be defined and determined in accordance with PUC Rule §24.173.
2. A customer that has a bill due during an extreme weather emergency (an “affected customer”) may request to establish a payment plan for unpaid bills that are due during the extreme weather emergency. In the event the District receives such a request within 30 days from the date the extreme weather emergency ends, the District will offer the affected customer a payment plan and a deadline for accepting the payment plan. The payment plan will require payment in one installment due and payable in full on the next customer billing due date. No finance charge will be assessed. All payment plan shall be reduced to writing and provided to the customer.
3. The District will not terminate service for nonpayment of bills due during an extreme weather emergency for an affected customer that has timely requested a payment plan until after the payment plan has been offered and the affected customer has either declined to accept the payment plan in a timely fashion or violated the terms of the payment plan.
4. Any preexisting disconnection notices issued to an affected customer for nonpayment of a bill due during an extreme weather emergency shall be suspended upon the timely request for a payment plan by an affected customer. If the affected customer does not timely accept the offered payment plan or violates the terms of the payment plan, any suspended disconnection notices shall be deemed reinstated, and the District shall disconnect service on or after the disconnection date listed on the disconnection notice.
5. If the affected customer does not timely accept the offered payment plan or violates the terms of the payment plan and there is not a preexisting disconnection notice, the District shall issue a disconnection notice prior to disconnecting the water or sewer service of the affected customer.
Tampering/Diversion/Defacement of District Property and Theft of Service
It is a violation of this Rate Order and the District's rules to use water or receive water and/or wastewater service from the District's System other than through an authorized tap for which a service agreement has been executed and all connection fees, charges, and deposits have been made.
For Purposes of these rules, the phrase "meter tampering, bypassing and/or diversion" and the phrase "tampering, bypassing, diversion, and/or defacement" shall each be defined as intentionally performing any of the following acts or causing or allowing another person, other than an authorized District representative, to perform any of the following acts:
a. Theft of a water meter or District-owned service equipment;
b. Disconnecting a meter owned or operated by the District, or causing or allowing any meter owned or operated by the District to be disconnected;
c. Removing or causing or allowing the removal of, a locking or shut-off device used by the District to discontinue service;
d. Physically disorienting, or causing or allowing the physical disorienting of, meter or District-owned service equipment;
e. Attaching, or causing or allowing the attachment of, objects to the meter to divert service or to bypass the District's service equipment;
f. Inserting objects into the meter or District's infrastructure;
g. Implementing any electrical and/or mechanical means resulting in the alteration or modification of the District's service equipment, the bypass of the District's service equipment, or the diversion of service in any manner;
h. Tapping onto or connecting any pipe with any water main or line owned or operated by the District, or causing or allowing another person to tap onto or connect any pipe with any water main or line owned or operated by the District;
i. Altering, changing, defacing, damaging, removing, interfering with, opening, or closing any water meter, valve, meter, or other property or equipment owned or controlled by the District;
j. Marring or defacing any building, equipment, or other property owned or operated by the District;
k. Damaging, removing, destroying or interfering with any fence, gate, or other enclosure owned or controlled by the District, or damaging, removing, destroying, or interfering with any sign or emblem on any structure or equipment owned or operated by the District; or
l. Defacing, writing or marking, cutting, printing, stamping, indenting or displaying any word, sentence, symbol, or figure on property owned or operated by the District.
Any person who violates this Section shall be subject to the following:
a. In instances where a meter is stolen, a civil penalty of $500.00 shall be assessed, the person responsible for the theft shall be subject to criminal prosecution and shall be responsible for the purchase price for replacement of the meter.
b. The District shall immediately discontinue water and/or wastewater service to any and all premises, lands, buildings, or structures that have received water/wastewater service without authorization, and service shall not be restored until all amounts owed to the District under this Section have been paid and a proper application for service has been received, along with payment of all required fees and charges.
c. In instances where unauthorized service is obtained by removing a locking or shut-off device used by the District to discontinue service, a civil penalty of $150.00 shall be assessed for the first violation. A second violation will result in a civil penalty of $250.00, and any subsequent violation will result in a civil penalty of $500.00. A valid application for water service must be on file with the District or submitted to the office prior to service reinstatement with payment of a customer deposit and any other required fees for service. Additionally, the fee assessed for unauthorized service, any past due balance and additional usage charges must be paid in full before service can be reinstated. Any offense(s) beyond the third violation will be referred to law enforcement and criminal charges will be filed by the District’s authorized representative.
d. In instances where unauthorized service is obtained where no meter or other measuring device is installed, the person shall pay a civil penalty of $500.00. Additionally, law enforcement shall be notified, and criminal charges shall be filed.
e. For any instance where unauthorized service is obtained, the person shall also be responsible for payment of any costs of the District, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and/or attorneys incurred in enforcing these provisions and for any damage or injury which may be caused to the system.
f. The owner of record of real property shall be responsible for any unauthorized water service received at the property, even if a third party (including contractors or subcontractors) performs the actions that result in authorized water use. Similarly, in the event a person or entity owns more than one tract of real property at which unauthorized water service occurs, each subsequent property at which unauthorized water service occurs after the first will be deemed a subsequent violation of this Rate Order by the owner.
g. For purposes of these Rules, the amount of service received shall be determined by the District’s General Manager on the basis of information and data reasonably available. In the absence of fraud, capriciousness, or grossly arbitrary action on his or her part, the determination of the District’s General Manager shall be final.
h. Payment of any fines or sums authorized under this Section shall be made in full as a condition of receipt of additional service, or as a condition of restoration of service, as applicable. In his or her discretion, the District’s General Manager may enter into payment agreements providing for payment of the civil penalty over time by the customer.
PENALTIES FOR UNAUTHORIZED DAMAGE TO DISTRICT FACILITIES
It is a violation of this Rate Order and the District's rules for any person or entity (including contractors) to damage any components of the District's waterworks and wastewater systems, including District water lines and wastewater lines, when such damage could have been avoided with reasonable care and diligence. Without limitation, any excavator that damages the District's facilities after the facilities have been properly marked or otherwise identified, that otherwise has actual or constructive notice of the facilities, or that fails to request the location of utilities pursuant to Texas 811, shall be in violation of this Rate Order and the District's rules.
Any person or entity that damages the District's facilities in violation of the foregoing shall be subject to a civil penalty of $5,000.00. The responsible party shall also be responsible for all costs, expenses, and damages incurred by the District arising out of the incident, including without limitation lost water, and all costs of repair or replacement funded by the District.
PENALTIES - GENERAL
The Board of the District hereby adopts and imposes a fine of up to $5,000.00 in civil penalties for the breach of any rule of the District for which a specific penalty amount is not otherwise set forth herein or the District’s policies. The amount of the penalty shall be determined by the Board of Directors based on the circumstances of each violation. In addition, the violator shall be responsible for reimbursing all costs and damages incurred as a result of the violation. The District penalty is in addition to any other remedies available under the laws of the State of Texas and may be enforced by complaints filed in the appropriate court of jurisdiction in Williamson County. If the District prevails in any suit to enforce its rules and penalties, it may, in the same action, recover reasonable fees for attorneys, expert witnesses, and other costs incurred by the District before the court. The amount of the attorneys’ fees shall be fixed by the court.
The District's General Manager is authorized to waive or reduce any penalties specified in this Rate Order in exceptional circumstances when determined by the General Manager to be in the public interest and appropriate based on the facts resulting in the potential levy of the penalty. Any such waiver or reduction by the General Manager shall be reported to the Board of Directors, and the decision of the General Manager may be appealed to the Board of Directors.
EROSION CONTROL PENALTIES
1. Violation fee for failure to provide Erosion Control Plan- $250.00 per day until the plan is filed.
2. Initial violation fee for beginning construction without approved Erosion Control Plan and erosion control facilities in place- $500.00 plus $500.00 per day fee until Erosion Control Plan is approved and facilities are in place.
3. Erosion Control Inspection Fee - initial inspection fee, no charge.
4. Erosion Control Re-inspection Fee- $105.00 per inspection.
5. Failure to repair or replace erosion control devices within 48 hours after notification- $500.00 plus $250.00 per day thereafter until corrected.
MISCELLANEOUS PENALTIES
1. Penalty for unauthorized disposal of waste or use of District’s garbage receptacles - $500.00.
2. Penalty for unauthorized disposal of waste materials onto District lands- $500.00.
3. Penalty for unauthorized cutting of trees or limbs located on District Property- $500 per tree[1]. This penalty is in addition to recovery of any damages that may be recovered by the District for the value of the tree and replacement thereof.
4. The Board of Directors of the District has adopted other policies that prohibit removal or cutting of District trees or damage to District property.
CHARGES FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION
Charges for Public Information- All charges for public information shall be determined in accordance with the Public Information Act and rules adopted by the office of the Texas Attorney General.