Queen Creek — The Town Council voted 5-0 to start the formal process to increase wastewater capacity fees, approving a 60-day notice of intention and scheduling a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2025. The council set a proposed effective date of Jan. 5, 2026, if it ultimately adopts a fee change.

Town staff and consultants told the council the update is driven by growth, near-term capacity constraints at the Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant (GWARP) and plans for an East Side treatment facility. Deputy Town Manager and CFO Scott McCarty and Utilities Director Mark Skocipic described the town’s wastewater system, and DTA Public Finance managing director Kuda Wekwe presented the fee calculation and recommended methodology changes.

The proposal before council would fund about a 2 million gallons per day (MGD) capacity increase that staff say is required to serve projected growth over the next 10 years. Consultants said the net cost allocated to growth translates to an estimated fee of about $6,100 per equivalent residential unit (ERU) — roughly a 112% increase over the current single‑family fee. Staff and consultants also recommended changing how multifamily development and some large-meter commercial/industrial connections are charged, tying charges more closely to likely wastewater generation rather than meter size alone.

Why it matters: capacity fees are one-time charges paid when a permit is pulled to ensure growth pays for its share of system capacity. Council and staff emphasized state statute requires fees be “fair and reasonable” and be based on a 10-year planning horizon. Staff said about 70% of the 10-year capacity demand is expected to come from new single-family homes, with multifamily accounting for about 17% of projected ERU growth.

Presentations and key technical points
Scott McCarty told the council the town projects roughly 14,600 ERUs over 10 years (using a planning assumption of 168 gallons per ERU per day) and that the Greenfield plant has about 4 MGD now with a planned 2 MGD expansion. Utilities Director Mark Skocipic explained the town’s wastewater flow generally runs westward to GWARP (a partnership with Mesa and Gilbert) and that long-term strategy aims to diversify treatment capacity, including a contemplated advanced treatment facility on the town’s east side to serve eastern growth and certain industrial users.

Kuda Wekwe of DTA Public Finance walked the council through costs and offsets staff included in the calculation: lease or buy‑in costs to use partner capacity while the town designs and builds its own facility, roughly $2.6 million in estimated partner payments over the near term; about $6.6 million of other growth‑related capital projects; and a $10 million state‑lands Title 42 allocation the town expects to use against costs. The consultants also noted a $15 million payment the council previously approved tied to the EPCOR exchange agreement, which they said increases the available cash balance and reduces the net fee requirement.

Methodology changes recommended
Consultants recommended two significant methodology changes. First, assign multifamily connections a fee equal to 75% of the single‑family ERU fee, based on town flow analyses and regional census data showing multifamily wastewater generation tends to be lower per unit. The change is designed to reduce disparities that arose from the prior meter‑size approach, which produced widely varying per‑unit charges among multifamily projects.

Second, for large commercial or industrial connections (meter sizes at or above 2 inches), staff and consultants propose evaluating project‑specific wastewater generation instead of relying solely on a meter‑based capacity ratio. Consultants presented examples where meter‑based fees underestimated actual annual flows for some commercial users and said a project‑specific review would better align fees with impact.

Public outreach and next steps
McCarty said the town has already met with a stakeholder focus group that included the Home Builders Association and representatives of multifamily interests, and more stakeholder meetings are expected during the 60‑day notice period. James Ashley of the Home Builders Association told council the association recognizes the need for wastewater capacity and appreciates the town’s stakeholder process; he said his members are discussing mitigation and implementation measures, including timing.

Council discussion touched on timing, revenue impacts and fairness. Council members asked how prior fee methodology and unexpectedly high multifamily flows affected capacity timing and whether existing customers have effectively subsidized growth in cases where fees did not align with actual demand. Staff said prior methodology and meter‑based allocations contributed to faster than anticipated use of available capacity, which hastened the need to plan expansion. Staff emphasized the town’s approach includes conservative assumptions (for example, attributing 80% of an expansion’s cost to growth to reflect possible efficiency gains benefiting existing customers) and that regular updates will better align charges with actual conditions.

Vote and procedural details
Council member Brown moved to approve the 60‑day notice of intention to increase wastewater capacity fees, set a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2025, with a proposed effective date of Jan. 5, 2026, and to publish the notice on the town’s website, social channels and in the newspaper for not less than 20 days prior to the hearing. The motion passed 5–0.

What remains unresolved
Staff will return with the published notice, additional stakeholder meetings and a public hearing. Any final fee adoption would occur only after the public hearing and would be subject to state‑statute processes that include required notice and waiting periods. Consultants and staff said the fee might be revised again as project design advances and additional data (for example, finalized design efficiencies and actual flows) become available.

Votes at a glance
- Motion: Approve 60‑day notice of intention to increase wastewater capacity fees; set public hearing 12/03/2025 at 6:30 p.m.; effective date if adopted 01/05/2026; require website/social media posting and 20+ day newspaper notice. Outcome: Approved 5–0.

Speakers quoted and cited in this article are listed in the article’s speaker section below. Technical figures, projected ERU growth, cost allocations and the proposed fee estimate were presented to the council during its Oct. meeting and are summarized above. Staff and consultants emphasized the numbers will be refined through the public process and further design work.