San Antonio City Council Declines to Waive Wastewater Impact Fees for Timberwood Villas

The San Antonio City Council recently rejected a proposal to waive approximately $415,000 in San Antonio Water System (SAWS) impact fees for the Villas at Timberwood, a 75-home community located at the northern edge of Bexar County. Residents have struggled for over a decade with a failing experimental septic system, which public health experts warn could contaminate nearby Mustang Creek. The community, currently outside city limits but slated for annexation by San Antonio in 2032, sought the fee waiver to connect to the city's wastewater infrastructure.

Council members expressed reluctance to grant an exception for a community not yet contributing city property taxes, despite pleas from elderly residents who have exhausted financial and emotional resources. Councilwoman Misty Spears advocated for the waiver, highlighting the public health risk and the impending expiration of $2 million in Bexar County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds secured for the project. SAWS officials clarified that impact fees cover the cost of expanding the entire system, not just the local connection, which residents are already funding.

This decision leaves the Villas at Timberwood residents facing substantial out-of-pocket expenses to resolve a critical environmental and health issue, despite having secured county funding for much of the project's physical infrastructure.