Georgetown City Council on Monday approved a Series 2025A water and sewer revenue bond ordinance authorizing approximately $72,030,000 in bonds to refinance outstanding utility debt and to finance a range of water and sewer system improvements.

Council members voted 6–1 in favor of the measure after a public discussion in which residents and one councilor flagged concerns about water rate increases and transparency at the municipal utility. Councilmember Crisp cast the lone no vote.

Why council acted: The ordinance bundles refunding of prior notes with construction and equipment financing, including a south-side storage tank and distribution improvements, upgrades to the city’s metering system (advanced metering infrastructure or AMI) and other trunk-line work. Finance staff and bond counsel told council Moody’s assigned an AA3 rating to the offering, consistent with expectations for the utility’s revenue-backed debt.

Public concern and council response: Several residents urged caution before approving additional borrowing, citing recent large rate adjustments and what they described as insufficient oversight of water operations. Dan Holman told the council the planned borrowing — and related rate model — would saddle ratepayers with costs tied to earlier project overruns. The council debated a motion to table the ordinance; the motion failed for lack of a second and the bond ordinance was subsequently adopted by roll call.

Utility presentation and mitigation steps: Georgetown Municipal staff gave an extended briefing in advance of the vote describing several reasons for public concern and how the utility plans to address them. Staff explained that recurring taste-and-odor events typically occur in spring and fall because Royal Spring is surface water influenced by groundwater that can experience algal activity; staff said those episodes pose no health risk but cause aesthetic taste issues. The utility is piloting carbon-treatment processes that target both taste/odor and emerging contaminants (PFAS) and said it has secured state grant funding and some proceeds from national PFAS settlements to offset treatment costs.

Metering and customer protections: The utility outlined current meter-reading and billing cycles, thresholds for automatic leak checks and a multi-year plan to implement AMI that will provide customers daily usage data and early leak alerts. Officials said the PFAS work and AMI rollout are included among projects financed by the bond and associated issuance.

What’s next: The ordinance authorizes the sale of the bonds under state law; staff said the bonds will be competitively sold soon and noted the utility plans to make the new AMI and treatment investments without immediate rate impacts by combining grants, settlement proceeds and bond proceeds. Council documentation and the full ordinance are posted at the city clerk’s office and online.

Vote: Series 2025A bond ordinance — passed 6–1 (No: Crisp).