People building new homes and businesses in Roseville could soon pay higher fees to connect to the city’s water, sewer and trash systems if the City Council approves a proposal to update several development fees.
The City Council is scheduled to consider the ordinance on its first reading Wednesday. If approved at a later meeting, the updated fees would take effect as early as Oct. 19. City officials said the proposed changes are based on updated studies of the cost of providing utility services as Roseville continues to grow.
City officials say the fees would help ensure new development pays for the infrastructure it will use instead of shifting those costs onto existing customers.
One of the largest changes involves water connection fees, which developers pay when obtaining a building permit.
For low-density residential homes, the fee would decrease from $12,688 to $12,388, down $300, or about 2.4%.
Medium-density residential developments would see their fee drop from $7,614 to $6,970, a reduction of $644.
However, high-density residential developments, including many apartment complexes and condominiums, would see their fee increase from $5,074 to $6,808, up $1,734, or about 34%.
The city’s study found that residents in high-density housing use more water than previously estimated, prompting consultants to recommend increasing the fee for those developments while lowering fees for some lower-density housing.
The proposed ordinance would also significantly increase the local sewer connection fee.
The current fee of $460 per sewer unit would increase to $817, an increase of $357, or 77.6%.
According to the city’s study, the higher fee would help pay for future sewer infrastructure, including new maintenance facilities and equipment needed to serve a growing population.
The ordinance would also make smaller changes to solid waste impact fees.
For a single-family home on a lot smaller than 10,000 square feet, the fee would increase from $410 to $417. Homes on lots of 10,000 square feet or larger would pay $582, replacing the current fee.
Commercial and industrial development would see fees rise to 36 cents per square foot from 34 cents, while multifamily housing would shift from a flat $139 per unit to 21 cents per square foot.
Private refuse-hauling companies would also pay higher franchise fees. The current fee of $6.88 per ton of trash collected would increase to $10.60 per ton beginning Oct. 19, 2026, before rising again to $12.40 per ton on July 1, 2027.
According to the city’s consultant, the fees are designed around the principle that “growth pays for growth.”
Under that approach, developers of new homes and businesses help fund the pipes, pumps, water storage, sewer improvements and other infrastructure needed to serve future residents, reducing the burden on current ratepayers.
The study estimates Roseville will add nearly 11,900 equivalent dwelling units by 2035 and will need more than $786 million worth of planned water infrastructure projects to accommodate that growth.
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Nicole Buss is The Sacramento Bee’s Roseville/Placer County watchdog reporter. She previously covered Placer County at Gold Country Media. Buss grew up in Lincoln and is a graduate of Sierra College and Arizona State University.