City of Groveland City Council Workshop: September 3, 2026

Meeting Overview

Type: Work Session (City Council Workshop) Quorum: Yes (4 of 5 members present) Duration: 10:02 a.m. to 2:48 p.m., with a recess from 12:09 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. Location: E.L. Puryear Building, 243 S. Lake Avenue, Groveland

Attendance

• Present: Mayor Keith Keogh, Vice Mayor Barbara Gaines, Council Members Amy Jo Carroll and Michael Jaycox
• Absent: Council Member Stephen Shylkofski (excused)
• Staff Present: Interim City Manager Tim Maslow, City Clerk Virginia Wright, Sergeant-At-Arms Lt. Sammy Anderson, Interim City Attorney Richard Geller; also appearing, Transportation and Public Works Director TJ Fish and Deputy Chief Thiemann
• Consultants: Joe Williams and Sean Ocasio, Raftelis Financial Consultants

Agenda Items

Item 1: Utility Rate & Water Sewer Connection Fee Study Update

• Type: Other (utility rates and development connection fees)
• Applicant: City staff; presented by Raftelis Financial Consultants
• Request: Interim City Manager Maslow said the presentation would address water and wastewater user rates, "including the scheduled 10-percent rate increase," and connection fees associated with development "to ensure that growth pays for growth."
• Action: Information and discussion only; Mr. Maslow "noted that the workshop was for information and discussion only and that no action would be taken."
• Notable Discussion:
  • The updated forecast assumed "approximately 350 to 400 new residential units annually through 2030." The five-year utility capital program totaled approximately $311 million (previous study: approximately $265 million), with approximately $80 million for renewal and replacement.
  • Mr. Fish said the Northern Area Water Reclamation Facility was not anticipated to enter construction before late 2028, with completion potentially in 2031 and debt service no earlier than 2032; the Clean Water Facilities Plan put the proposed 1.5-million-gallon-per-day facility at slightly more than $100 million.
  • Mr. Williams recommended keeping the adopted 10-percent adjustment; the combined bill at about 4,000 gallons would go from approximately $67 to approximately $74. He recommended continuing advance connection-fee payments through developer agreements. Mr. Fish said prepayment reserves capacity, and the developer pays the difference to the fee in effect at building permit.
  • Mr. Fish said the wastewater connection fee "was currently just under $11,000 per home" and that preliminary calculations indicated it "could need to increase to approximately $15,000 to $17,000 per home," returning to Council through a future ordinance.
  • Mayor Keogh asked Raftelis for a simplified financial model because Council "was considering reductions in future residential development while simultaneously planning significant utility infrastructure." Staff requested a legal opinion on charging multifamily units the standard residential connection fee.

Item 2: City Impact Fees Update: Police, Fire, Parks, and Administration

• Type: Other (impact fees)
• Applicant: City staff; presented by Sean Ocasio, Senior Manager, Raftelis Financial Consultants
• Request: Preliminary impact-fee calculations for law enforcement, fire prevention and administrative facilities; the parks and recreation fee "remained under development pending additional policy direction."
• Action: Information and discussion only (workshop)
• Notable Discussion:
  • Mr. Ocasio said House Bill 1329, signed in June 2026, changed the statutory requirements, so the prior study was closed and a new one begun using "a forward-looking methodology based on growth-related projects within the City's capital plan." Increases above statutory thresholds are "generally capped at a 50-percent increase over four years," while decreases take effect immediately.
  • Law enforcement: the existing residential fee of $616.24 per dwelling unit "was calculated to decrease under the updated methodology," based on a current level of service of approximately 1.75 sworn officers per 1,000 residents.
  • Fire: the existing residential fee of $541.30 per dwelling unit; calculated residential fees "ranged from approximately $664 to $2,044 depending upon dwelling size," subject to statutory limits. The growth forecast runs through approximately 2035 with roughly 5,000 additional residential units.
  • Administrative: based primarily on a proposed new City Hall of approximately 42,000 square feet; existing fee $127.50 per residential unit, calculated range approximately $183 to $564, with most increases capped at 50 percent.
  • The study must be adopted within 12 months of initiation to support increases, "establishing an outside timeframe of approximately August 2027." Council Member Jaycox asked about fire costs tied to industrial warehouses; Mr. Ocasio said eligible capital costs such as Fire Station 3 and apparatus can be included, and personnel costs cannot.

Public Hearings Summary

A workshop for information and discussion; the minutes record no public hearing and no public comment.

Key Signals

• Development's share of utility cost is being repriced. Staff previewed a wastewater connection fee rising from just under $11,000 per home to approximately $15,000 to $17,000, prepayment rules for capacity reservations, and a future ordinance to adopt them.
• The north wastewater plant slides later. Construction of the Northern Area Water Reclamation Facility is not anticipated before late 2028, completion potentially in 2031, debt service no earlier than 2032.
• Impact fees are being recalculated under House Bill 1329. The police fee is calculated to decrease, the fire and administrative fees to rise within a 50-percent, four-year phase-in, with an adoption window running to approximately August 2027.
• Growth assumptions are explicit. The utility forecast assumes 350 to 400 new residential units a year through 2030; the impact-fee forecast assumes roughly 5,000 additional units through about 2035.

Raw Notes

• The minutes text is an OCR layer ("Gitv lmpact Fees," "Utilitv"); quotations above are normalized to the words the text plainly intends.
• Approximately $65 million in awarded grants for water, wastewater and reclaimed-water projects with existing agreements, per Mr. Fish.
• Parks level of service is currently identified as six acres per 1,000 residents; Mr. Maslow said Council could consider eight or ten, and the parks fee awaits that policy decision and the Parks Master Plan.
• Deputy Chief Thiemann clarified that six additional firefighter positions had been approved since the study data was provided; Raftelis will update the fire analysis before returning to Council.