Royston Considers Raising Water Deposit, Tap Fees

The Royston City Council and Mayor are looking at raising water deposits and tap fees.

Gary Fesperman, who is assisting new City Manager Sharleen Ayers, Royston has not increased its tap fees since 2014.

Fesperman told the Council and Mayor Keith Turman the cost of materials alone to put in a tap is more than what the City is currently charging.

The current tap fee for residential water is $600 and $750 for sewer bringing the total to $1,350.

Fesperman said the $600 water tap fee doesn’t include labor costs and fuel, which brings the total cost to the City for one tap fee to $975.

With new development coming into Royston, Fesperman recommended bringing Royston’s tap fees into line with surrounding municipalities and counties.

He said that would bring the new total for water and sewer tap fees to $3,900 from the current $1,350.

Fesperman emphasized the fees would only apply to new service installations, not current customers.

Meantime, City Manager Sharleen Ayers told the Council it’s a similar situation with water deposits. Ayers said Royston’s water deposit rate is $60 and has not been adjusted in 19 years.

Ayers recommended raising it to $100, which is what surrounding municipalities are charging. That, she said, would help cover the cost of those customers who left the city without paying the balance on their water bill.

One Councilman suggested basing the deposit on a customer’s credit score.

Ayers said that could be done but would likely mean hiring a third-party company to do the credit checks.

As with tap fees, the higher water deposit would only apply to new customers.

The City Council took no vote on either recommendation but said they will review the material they’ve been given and plan to vote on it at a later meeting.