Click here for Information for Use and Care of Grinder Pump 

FOR CURRENT SEWER INFORMATION CLICK ON READ MORE

AS OF 2/02/10 THE COST FOR SEWER SERVICE  IN BOTH PHASE I & PHASE II OF THE CITY SEWER SYSTEM IS NOW $6000 FOR RESIDENTIAL AND $7500 FOR COMMERCIAL.  (WE ARE OFFERING A PAYMENTS PLAN OF $1200. DOWN AND 4 PAYMENTS OF $1200 FOR RESIDENTIAL AND $1500 DOWN AND 4 PAYMENTS OF $1500 FOR COMMERCIAL).

**PLEASE NOTE:  TANK/GRINDER PUMP MUST BE PAID IN FULL BEFORE SERVICE CAN BE ACTIVATED.**

**ALSO, PLEASE REMEMBER...THE ABOVE REFERENCED PRICING DOES NOT INCLUDE ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING FROM THE TANK/PUMP TO YOUR HOME.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIRING AN ELECTRICIAN AND PLUMBER TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU***

FOR MORE INFORMATION..PLEASE CALL CITY HALL AT (512)778-5449 AND ASK FOR TAMMY KIRK.

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REMINDER:  THE DEADLINE FOR SIGNING UP AT THE CURRENT PRICE OF $3500./Residential AND $4500./commercial IS MONDAY FEBRUARY 1st.  

WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR PHASE II OF THE SEWER SYSTEM. (Deadline to apply was Dec.31,2009)  IF INTERESTED, YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP AND PAY THE PRICE OF $3500./Residential & $4500./Commercial UNTIL FEB. 1, 2010.(Payment plan optional)   

AFTER FEB. 1st THE COST WILL BE $6000./Residential and $7500./Commercial.  This will require payment in full or $1200. down and Four (4) payments of $1200. for residential and $1500. down and Four (4) payments of $1500. for commercial.

IF YOU ARE IN PHASE I (Downtown area of Liberty Hill) THE COST TO SIGN UP NOW IS $6000./Residential and $7500./Commercial.(We are offering a payment plan for Phase I customers and can take up to 5 payments of $1200. each for residential and $1500. each for commercial.    

REMINDER.....  THE FINAL PAYMENT FOR SEWER SERVICE IN PHASE I WAS DUE ON 12/04/09.  BEFORE SERVICE CAN BE ACTIVATED, THE GRINDER PUMP/TANK MUST BE PAID IN FULL.

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THE FINAL DATE TO SIGN UP FOR PHASE II OF THE CITY'S WASTEWATER SYSTEM AT THE CURRENT PRICE OF $3500. FOR RESIDENTIAL AND $4500. FOR COMMERCIAL IS MONDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2010 BY 4PM.    (PAYMENT IS REQUIRED AT TIME OF SIGN UP..EITHER PAYMENT IN FULL, OR $700. Down for Residential & $900. Down for Commercial...also, we can only take up to 4 additional payments to pay off service)

DECEMBER 31, 2009 by 4pm IS THE  LAST DAY TO SIGN UP FOR A GRANT IN PHASE II. 

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AS OF NOVEMBER 3, 2009 THE CURRENT PRICE TO SIGN UP FOR SEWER SERVICE IN PHASE II IS $3500. FOR RESIDENTIAL AND $4500. FOR COMMERCIAL.

The final date to sign up for sewer service in Phase II at the current price of $3000./$4000. is November 2,2009.

(This phase includes Jenks Branch Subdivision, part of Riverbend Subdivision, Loop 332 from 1869 to Hwy 29, Hillcrest Lane, Kristi Lane & Hwy 29 west from P&R Butane area toward Bertram).

WE ARE STILL TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS FOR PHASE II OF THE SEWER PROJECT.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO APPLY FOR A GRANT, PLEASE COME TO CITY HALL MONDAY - FRIDAY FROM 8-4.

 (Please be prepared to provide names, social security numbers & income information for everyone living in your home)  

 Now accepting sign-up and payment at City Hall for service in the next Phase of the sewer project.  Payment is due at time of sign up, either in full ($3000./residential, $4000./commercial) or a first payment of $600. residential or $800./commercial, to lock in the current price.

ATTENTION!  DATE CHANGES!

The City Council, in the meeting of June 23, 2009, has made the following changes to sewer deadline dates:     

     July 1, 2009:  Final date for property owners on the north side of Hwy 29 to purchase a sewer connection at the current price of $4,500.00

     July 31, 2009:  Final date for property owners/residents in Phase 1 (including "Old Town", downtown, Purser Estates, Carson Acres) to purchase a sewer connection at the current price of $3,500 for residential and $4,500 for commercial.

     December 4, 2009:  For Phase 1 (including "Old Town", downtown, Purser Estates, Carson Acres) properties, any remaining balance due on the sewer connection must be paid in full by this date.                     

Grinder Pump Locations to be Set......

Once Phase II gets started (estimating January 2010), contractor crews will be going to selected houses to survey and mark locations for the installation of grinder pumps.  A stake will be positioned in the ground indicating the proposed location.  If property is inaccessible due to fences, dogs, etc., workers will leave a notice on the front door requesting contact so that they may set a time and date to return when they can have access. 

 Property owners/residents have 7 days after stake is placed, to notify City Hall if they have any issue with the location that has been selected.

Contact City Hall at 512-778-5449, email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or come to City Hall during regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

ADDITIONAL WASTEWATER GRANTS APPROVED FOR LIBERTY HILL RESIDENTS, 10/7/08  

The Community Development Block Grant Committee, Grant Development Services, and the City of Liberty Hill announced Tuesday that eleven more property owners were approved for connection to the Phase One Wastewater System.  The selection committee met on Monday and re-reviewed seven applications that required additional information.  All seven applications were approved.  That allowed the City to release four other applicants already approved bringing the total to forty-nine grants to date approved and released.  Those eleven approved this week will soon receive a letter that they have been approved. 

The City is currently awaiting receipt of CDBG funding for 2008.  All current applications on file will be funded against 08 funds in the same sequence that you originally signed up.   2008 funding will give the City enough funds to connect everyone that previously submitted an application for a connection, provided they qualify.

If you are a property owner or a renter that has not yet determined if you are eligible for a connection grant and would like to see if you qualify, call or stop by City Hall and we can make a preliminary determination.  A grant can be awarded based on the property owner’s income or renter’s income and the number of persons in residence at that address.  We can provide you with the two forms necessary to apply for a grant and will explain the process to you.

If you have any questions regarding the sewer system in Liberty Hill, please contact Marv at City Hall anytime between 9 AM and 3 PM, Tuesday thru Friday.

APPROVED GRANT PROPERTY OWNERS NOW BEING NOTIFIED, 10/2/08

 This week thirty-eight Liberty Hill property owners received notification from the Williamson County Community Development Block Grant Committee (CDBGC), Grant Development Services (GDS), and the City of Liberty Hill, that they have been approved for a grant to connect their property to the Phase One Wastewater System.  This is a long-awaited announcement for the City.   

The City is currently working with GDS and CDBGC to qualify eleven more property owners from 2005, 2006, and 2007 funds.

And more grants are forthcoming.  The City has received notification that it should be receiving funds for approximately 20 more properties to hook up as part of Phase One 2008 funding.  

In total, the City could receive sixty-nine grants according to GDS.  Currently the City has received seventy-nine applications but some property owners have not qualified for various reasons.  Property owner’s that did not qualify will receive a letter later this week explaining why they did not qualify for the grant and any recourse they might have.

If you received an approval letter, please contact Marv at City Hall so we can insure everyone gets his or her letter.  Marv’s number at City Hall is 512 778 5449 and is open Tuesday thru Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM.  You can also contact Marv for any other questions you have regarding the wastewater system.

The City is still waiting on approval from the Texas Water Development Board to begin Phase I.  Allen Engineer Group is working closely with the board to get the plans approved as soon as possible.  Once the plans are approved and released, the City will move to award a contract as quickly as possible.  City officials are still optimistic that construction can begin in early 2009 on this large project.

3RD SEWER PAYMENT NOW DUE

This is a reminder that if you signed up for the payment plan for your sewer connection that your next payment due date is August 15th.  This should be your third payment.  If it isn’t, you can get back on track at any time.  This schedule is for both Phase 1 and North HWY 29 connections.  City Hall will be open normal hours, 9 AM to 3 PM, Tuesday thru Friday, to accept your payment.  If you have any questions please call Marv at 512-778-5449.

As you may have noticed, the North HWY 29 project is moving along very quickly.  Royal Vista Inc began construction at the intersection of HWY 29 and CR 213 on July 21st and has been working westward at a very good pace.  The Mayor and City Council hosted a Ground Breaking Ceremony for this event this past Monday.  David Allen, the city’s engineer, commented that even though it seems like the sewer has been in works for a long time, in reality it has only taken three years to get to this point since the project was officially started.   

Phase 1 plans are still at the state and EPA for their plan review.  The plans have been at the state since April, but this is a very big project and the review process takes a little longer.  Our engineers are hoping to hear from the state and EPA very soon so we can move forward.

We also still have a few property owners we have not heard from regarding mainline easements.  We mailed out several postcards and letters in early to mid July asking for you to contact City Hall.  If you have received a card or letter in the mail, please call Marv at 512-778-5449.

SEWER GRANT PROCESS IS MOVING ALONG - July 11, 2008 

Tuesday, the City of Liberty Hill received an update on the grant application process for the Phase I area of the Liberty Hill Sewer Project.  In early June, residents who live in the Phase I area that were interested in applying for a connection grant were asked to come to City Hall and apply/reapply.  The turnout was tremendous.  The City thanks every one who took time to come in and reapply and even in some cases, sign up for the first time. Grant Development Services collected the applications and IRS forms on Thursday, June 5th and mailed the IRS forms the next day. 

GDS reported Tuesday morning, July 1st, that they had received six envelopes back from the IRS and each envelope contained multiple responses.   GDS spot-checked the IRS responses and was pleased with what the IRS provided.  In

some cases where tax returns had not been filed, the IRS response was “Did not file a return.”  GDS checked with the Williamson County Grant Committee and the Committee will accept an affidavit from the applicant that they did not or have not yet filed a 2007 tax return.  As soon as all of the IRS forms responses are received and GDS can determine who will need to sign an affidavit, the City will contact those persons.   

5/2/08:    SERVICE LINE & GRINDER PUMP LOCATION MAP AVAILABLE 

Allen Engineer Group (AEG), the Liberty Hill City Engineer, has just released a map showing sewer service line, grinder pump, and easement locations for Phase I properties.   The map is available for your review at City Hall during regular business hours, Tuesday thru Friday, 9 AM till 3 PM.  City Hall will also be open Wednesday, May 14th, 3 PM to 8 PM if you need to come by after work.     You can also call Marv at 512 778 5449 if you want to discuss it over the phone or have questions.                                                    

4/3/08 - LIBERTY HILL RESIDENT ASKS FOR CLARIFICATION ON SEWER COSTS

In last week’s Independent, Liberty Hill resident Malcolm Terry’s letter to the editor asked several very good questions about the costs involved with a property owner hooking up to the impending sewer system.  While identified as hidden costs by Mr. Terry, the City below is providing responses to Mr. Terry’s questions and comments.  The City has continually tried to educate and inform property owners of the costs associated with hooking up to the sewer system.  There has been nothing hidden about it.  Whereas specific dollar amounts may not be known, the requirement for the service, i.e. plumbing, electrical, trenching, etc., has been made known all along to those who signed up or inquired.  

M.T.  How much power (what size breaker) is required to run the grinder pump?  A grinder pump will require a 30 amp, double pole 230 volt, 4 wire service, two power, one neutral and a ground.  Power and neutral should be size AWG No. 10.  Ground should comply with code. 

M.T.  I really don't think homeowners should have the burden of added electricity bills.   The operational cost for a grinder pump is approximately the equivalent to that for a 40 W light bulb.  It is a very inexpensive system to operate for the service it provides.  

M.T.  Plus in this day and age of high-energy costs and limited power on the grid, we seriously need to consider an alternative power source to run these pumps; such as a solar-powered system.   You are correct.  Homeowners need to be concerned with rising cost of all utilities and do anything they can to help control expenses.  The cost for solar panels at this point in time would be prohibitively expensive and would have to be born by the users.  The City just doesn’t have the money to provide solar panels to run property owners’ grinder pumps.

Allen Engineering did research on solar panels to power the grinder pumps.  It would take eight (8), 80 watt panels per pump, with each panel measuring approximately 2 ft x 3 ft.  That would be a 640-watt capacity and an area of solar panels of 48 square feet, or about one and a half times the size of a sheet of plywood.  The panels would be mounted on the roof of the house, on the south side of the house and angled at 15 degrees.   

Allen Engineer Group contacted Solarcraft in Houston on the costs to hook up the grinder pumps to solar panels.  Just the equipment would cost $13,000 for each house.  Even Solarcraft said the cost was not worth the return.  It would not provide a return on your investment for over 60 years.  So while a good idea, some things are just cost prohibitive to the homeowner. 

M.T.  What is the average cost going to be to add a circuit from your main breaker to the grinder pump?  This is going to vary by the house, depending upon the location of existing electrical service and the location of the pump control panel which will be within 25 feet of the grinder pump location.  Check with your electrician and get him to give you an estimate to insure safe hook up.

M.T.  What about houses that don't have enough electrical service? If your main power service is already maxed-out now, then you will have to get PEC to come in and add a larger capacity service drop. That can cost hundreds of dollars, at the expense of the home owner.  That is a possibility.  But if a house can’t handle the small electrical needs of the grinder pump, then service quite possible needs to be upgraded anyway.  We are an electrical using nation as evidenced by higher demands for electricity every year.  Again the property owner needs to check with their electrician or PEC to determine adequate electrical needs.  The city has been very clear in notifying property owners when they sign up that they are responsible for connections from their house to the grinder pump.    

Unfortunately, funds from the Texas Water Development Board can not be used to cover the cost of upgrading the electrical service to the house.

Those property owners that applied for the low to moderate income households are covered and electrical and plumbing connections will be included as part of the grant.  All property owners that have applied or inquired about service have been informed about hook up costs.  Only four property owners officially notified City Hall that they decline service. 

M.T.  Who is going to maintain the grinder pump?  The City will be maintaining the grinder pumps.  That information has been passed out when people sign up as well as in newsletters mailed out.  That’s the purpose of the Grinder Pump Easement that the city initiated with each property owner that has signed up.  The easement gives the city an easement from the mainline sewer to the grinder pump in order to lay the service line and install and maintain the grinder pumps.  If something goes wrong, the property owner or renter simply calls the city who will pass the information on to the company selected to maintain the grinder pumps.  Very simple process.

Please make note of a special opportunity.  David Allen, with Allen Engineer Group, has arranged for Liberty Hill citizens to view an actual grinder pump and discuss with the manufacturer’s representative how it works.  On April 17, from 11 AM to 8 PM we will have Marvin Springer, a representative of one of the manufacturers of the grinder pumps, Eone, at City Hall to answer questions regarding operation of the low-pressure sewer system.  During this time, residents will be able to inspect a grinder pump, fiberglass basin, and control panel as well as ask questions of Mr. Springer who has over 30 years experience working with this type of system.

M.T.  I was told by our city secretary that the city would be responsible for it. However, my research and past home owner experience has shown that most municipalities consider anything on your property to be your responsibility. In other words, everything, from your house to the main sewer line, is your problem.  Actually Mr. Terry’s question was directed to the city clerk, not the city secretary, when he came in to City Hall several weeks ago inquiring about the sewer system.  But potato, potatoe.  Bottom line is that the city will maintain the grinder pumps.  Period.  The grinder pumps are city owned and city maintained.  The City has gone to great lengths to ensure that the grinder pumps and service lines are paid for out of Texas Water Development Board funds.  In order to accomplish this, the City had to be responsible for ownership, operation, and maintenance of the pumps.  Other cities such as Lago Vista and Horseshoe Bay are also responsible for grinder pump maintenance.

M.T.  What is going to happen if we have another major power outage like we had after the big ice storm about 12 years ago? We were without power for days. That means your pump would be offline and your sewage would back up into your house in a matter of hours. Even short outages, due to thunderstorms, could cause backed-up sewage as long as you have running water and toilets. This means that if you want to live in your house during power outages, you better invest in a generator. Of course generators must be wired-in with special circuitry, which costs you even more.       Each pump station has approximately 155 gallons of storage capacity, which will provide about one day of storage with typical water usage in the event of a power outage.  However, in the event of a significant and prolonged power outage, both the LHWSC and the City would be encouraging conservation since, in addition to the wastewater pumps not be able to function, the potable water well pumps would also not be functioning.  Another way of looking at this is in the number of available toilet flushes.  Assuming that the majority of toilets in the City are the older style, which consume approximately 3.5 gallons per flush, the tank volume provided will accept up to fifty flushes.

The City also checked with the Liberty Hill Water Supply Corporation.  If electrical service goes out for several days the Water Supply Corporations pumps cannot operate either.  Only water available will be what is on hand in the water towers at the time the electricity goes off.  Once it is all used, citizens will just have to wait it out. 

M.T.  Bottom line: The true cost of connecting to the city sewer (in its current pressure-fed design) is going to be much more than the initial up-front payment of $3500. Operation and maintenance costs will surely be more than the monthly sewage fees. And the reliability of the system is only as good as the electricity supply. Home owners and business need to be aware of this before committing, especially if their septic system is still functional.

The installation of the pressure sewer system was the most cost effective solution for providing sewer service to the City of Liberty Hill.  Based upon a cost comparison for serving only the downtown area, the costs for the low-pressure sewer system were 30 to 40 percent lower than those for a gravity collection system.  Costs for serving the entire City limits by gravity would have been much higher because of the rolling topography across the city.  The $3,000 / $3,500 payment for residential service does not cover the cost of the grinder pump and service, let alone the remainder of the collection system.  This payment is collected to offset capital costs for the grinder pump and collection system construction and to cover the $1,700 cost the City has paid the LCRA for capacity charges in the wastewater treatment plant.

Mr. Terry addressed some very good questions and points in his letter to the editor.  The $3000 / $3500 up front payment was never intended to cover all the costs of installing the sewer for a particular property.  That cost has always been a tap fee, per se, per property owner.  The city entered into a long-term debt to help Liberty Hill move forward into becoming more than a rural small Texas town.  Many Phase 1 residents would be facing the condemnations of present septic systems with Williamson County Health District in regards to the very saturated soil in the downtown area if it was not for the city’s attempt to bring sewer to the residents.  And a sewer system is no doubt expensive.  But the city has been up front with known requirements, i.e. electrical, plumbing, etc, to those that have asked and have signed up.  The city learns something new about the system everyday and continues to provide what we learn about the system, as we know it. 

There is a final bottom line that property owners need to be aware of.  Per city ordinance it is not, repeat not, mandatory to have to hook up to the sewer system except in three cases.

(A)  It shall be unlawful for any person owning property that is within two hundred feet        (200') of any sanitary sewer line within and belonging to the City and said property is improved with a new structure designed for occupancy as a residential, commercial, or industrial structure to construct, use, or maintain, or permit to be constructed, used or maintained, on or about such property, any septic tank, privy, cess pool, water closet, urinal, slop sink, slop drain, bathtub, waste drain, or any other apparatus, appliance, equipment, or thing of any kind used, or to be used, for the purpose of receiving or removing sewage matter or slop of any kind, unless the same is connected with the sanitary sewerage system of the City.

(B)  It shall be unlawful for any person owning property that is within two hundred feet (200’) of any sanitary sewer line within and belonging to the City and said property is serviced by an on-site septic facility regulated by any governmental entity to utilize the on-site septic facility (“OSSF”) when it is not operating in compliance with all governmental regulations applicable to the OSSF or the OSSF is not properly permitted, unless the property is connected with the sanitary sewerage system of the City.

(C)  If any person owning newly improved property within two hundred feet (200') of any sewer line of the City shall fail or refuse to make the connections required by subsections (A) or (B), the City shall have the right to make connections and charge the cost of same, including the labor and material necessarily used, as well as other expenses connected therewith, against the payment thereof.  To secure the payment of such costs, the City shall have a lien against the property on which the connections were made.

This means that even if your septic system is working fine but the soil contamination levels are so high, that the system no longer meets Williamson County standards, then you will have to hook up to the system. 

This means that eventually everyone will be required to hook up to the system.  Everyone’s system is going to break down at some point and /or soil contamination will continue to increase till it reaches the point that Williamson County will have to fail your system.  The question then becomes when.  What the property owner is betting on or against is how long that will be and what the tap fee will be at the time.  The tap fee has already gone up once since we started the process and could go up again at any time.  There is no telling what the fee will be next year or even three years from now.  This is an opportunity for property owners to hook up to the sewer system at the lowest possible cost and even possibly at no cost.

The City would like to thank Mr. Terry for his questions and his interest to insure everyone is has adequate information to make the decision as to whether the sewer system is worth the cost of moving Liberty Hill forward.  Most of these questions have been addressed with property owners as they sign up and in newsletters previously sent out to property owners.  Some questions prompted significant research and we went to experts for their comments in the responses.  In some cases, these questions have been addressed briefly in City Council meetings with Allen Engineer Group, the City’s engineer.  And Mr. Terry’s letter was an opportunity to address issues of importance again about the sewer system. 

             One important change to last week’s story:  the story said that Grant Development Service (GDS) would provide a return address to send recertified and updated applications along with requested financial support documents to.  Grant Development Services asked the City this week to collect and hold for pick up all recertified applications and documents.  Once you have received your notice from GDS, bring the requested documents to City Hall.  The City Staff will log them in, in the order received.

The City will continue to provide updates in the Independent as updates are available.  If you have questions, the City’s web site has a “CONTACT US” button where you can ask your question.  Or you can call the City direct at 512-778-5449.  City Hall is open Tuesday thru Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM.  Or leave a message in the voice mailbox.

 4-1-08  GRANTS TO HELP WITH COST OF SEWER SERVICE 

Last week in an article to the Liberty Hill Independent, city officials noted that 81 Phase I property owners that signed up for sewer service had also made application for a Williamson County managed community grant to cover all costs associated with hooking a property owners home up to the sewer system.

The grant is being offered by the Williamson County Community Development Block Grant Board (CDBG) and is being administered by Grant Development Services (GDS) of Austin.  The City Council early on in the sewer process explored ways to help Liberty Hill property owners benefit from available grant money.  The Council partnered with Grant Development Service and as a result has secured grant money to help property owners get hooked up to the sewer system.    City representatives recently meet with personnel from GDS and Williamson County regarding how the grant selection process would work and when the selections would be made.  It was determined that being as most of the applications are over six months old, the information previously submitted would need to be recertified and supporting financial documentation would have to be provided.      

The City has been informed that GDS will very soon be mailing each applicant a letter requesting recertification of the information initially provided on their application.  If information provided on the application has changed, the application must be updated to reflect current conditions.  Erroneous provided information could disqualify a property owner from eligibility.

The letter will also ask the applicant to provide financial documentation that verifies income and / or assets as the applicant reported it.  Whatever documentation is requested, each applicant needs to provide that documentation to GDS as soon as possible. 

Applications and documentation should be mailed to GDS at an address provided or dropped off at City Hall during regular business hours, Tuesday thru Fridays, 9 AM to 3 PM.  Documents will be date and time stamped as to when they were received.  Being received by City Hall is as good as being received by GDS.  If you turn them into City Hall, GDS services will pick them up on a regular schedule for processing in date and time received sequence.  City Hall will not verify that you have all required documentation necessary.  We will merely collect the documents and pass them on. GDS will review applications and financial documents to insure each packet is correct and complete before forwarding to Williamson County CDBG.   Once Williamson County CDBG verifies a packet is correct and complete, they will notify the City and the City will post the property owners name to a master list in the order notified.  This master list will determine our hook up sequence.  The sooner a property owner responds to the GDS letter, the higher up on the master list a property owner will be listed. 

Once the Williamson County grant board meets, reviews all applications, and determination who will be awarded a grant, the City will adjust the list accordingly.  The master list will be used till all CDBG funds are exhausted.  If more grant money becomes available in the future for Phase I, then the next property owners in line will be hooked up.  Again, until the grants funds are exhausted.     

It has been determined that there is enough grant money to connect approximately forty-nine applicants up to the sewer.  This is based on the total dollar amount of the grant divided by the estimated cost to hook a house up.  The variable factors that may effect the final number is how easy or difficult it is to connect a house to the system. 

For example, if the grinder pump is set close to the septic discharge from a house and it is easy digging and electrical connections are close, then it may not cost much to hook up a property.  The cheaper it is to hook up a house, the more houses that can be hooked up.  If the house is built on solid rock and trenching is difficult, or if electrical connections are not readily available, then it will be more costly and decrease the number of hook ups we can fund.  Again, 49 is an average that the City thinks can be funded.  The final number could be 45 or it could be 55.  It just depends on how far the grant money goes. 

Again, once an applicant receives a letter from GDS, read it and act on it immediately.  The clock is running.  Do what the letter asks you to do.  And do it quickly, correctly, and completely.  This will increase the possibility of getting on the City list as high up as possible.  If you have any questions about the letter and what it is asking you to provide, call the number on the letter for clarification.  If you call City Hall we will refer you to GDS as they are the experts on this. 

3-19-08 UPDATE

March 15th was the deadline for Liberty Hill residents and business property owners in Phase I to make their first payment at the initial $3000 per residential customer and $4000 per commercial customer fee.  Since the city began signing up Phase 1 property owners last October, 169 property owners signed up for sewer service.  City figures released today indicates that 81 of those property owners applied for the grant that Williamson County is making available; 15 property owners paid in full for their sewer tap fee; 16 business property owners and 25 residential property owners made their first payment by the Friday deadline.

 Only 32 property owners that previously signed up did not meet the first payment deadline. Payments are still being accepted at an increased price.  Payments are accepted during regular city hall business hours, 9 AM to 3 PM, Tuesday thru Friday. 

 The sewer is still on schedule and by late summer there should be construction going on all over the Phase I area.  The city’s engineer is working now with state regulators to finalize the project so bidding can take place this summer.  Barring unforeseen events, the project is still projected to be complete in the summer 2009 time frame.

In other sewer news, the sewer project along the north side of HWY 29 is also being finalized by state regulators.  Advertisement for bids for this phase should occur in April.  And for those of you in Phase II, which is basically the western end of town and then back east along the south side of HWY 29, sign up for this project should begin this summer. 

Also the city has a newer easier web site address to remember.  Its www.lhtexas.com.  We are trying as best we can to provide any city hall related news and information on our web site. Please check in with it often.  We eventually hope to establish an email distribution list to those of you that are registered users to provide you with up to date information. 

Dec. 14, 2007  SEWER UPDATE

WHATS GOING ON WITH THE SEWER SYSTEM?  I DON’T SEE ANY DIGGING GOING ON.   Good question and the simple answer is – a lot!  By the end of November we finally had enough Phase I property owners come in and sign up for service.  That magic number was 150 LUE’s.  Thank you to everyone who come in and signed up.  It shows your faith in the modernization of our city.

LUE?  WHATS THAT?  A LUE is an abbreviation for Living Unit Equivalent.  Its how a wastewater treatment facility measures capacity to treat wastewater.  Treatment plans are built according to LUE size and cities like Liberty Hill buy a number of LUE’s from a treatment facility.  This enables a city to depend on service. 

AND HOW DOES THIS EFFECTS ME AS A PROPERTY OWNER?  As a property owner and user of the wastewater system, what you input into the mainline eventually winds up at the treatment plant.  That input is rated as an LUE or several LUE’s depending o the size water meter you have.  After all, it takes water to operate a wastewater system.  One LUE is defined by your water meter size.  One LUE is determined by a 5/8 inch water meter.  A larger water meter is more LUE’s.  The Liberty Hill Water Supply Corporation provided the City with a list of everyone in Liberty Hill that had an oversized water meter.  And they were charged a hookup fee based on their LUE consumption.  99.9% of the meters in Liberty Hill are 5/8’s inch. 

SO THAT’S WHERE THE PRICE FOR THE SEWER CAME FROM?  Right.  One LUE cost a home/property owner initially $3000 per LUE to hookup.  Commercial rates were $4000 per LUE to hook up.

WHY DOES IT COST $3500 FOR ME TO HOOK UP NOW?  The City Council raised the cost of residential hookup fees to $3500 effective 1 DEC 07 and commercial hookup fees to $4500 due to the continued increase in costs.  The City just does not have money in its budget to cover all the costs associated with this expensive project.   The Council had locked in prices since day one at the lowest possible rate to encourage property owners to come in and sign up.  They simply had to raise the cost at some point and 1 DEC was deemed that point.  If you started your sign up process prior to that time, and we have partial paperwork on you, you still get the lower initial rate.  But if you started your transaction on 1 DEC or after, then it is the higher rater.

I LIVE IN PURSER ESTATES AND JUST HEARD WE ARE NOW IN PHASE I.  ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE HIGHER RATE?  Residents in Purser Estates have until 18 January 2008 to sign up for wastewater service at the $3000 rate.  After 18 January, then they will be required to pay the new fee of $3500.  First payment for Purser Estates residents is due March 15.

THAT’S A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY.  DO I HAVE TO PAY IT ALL AT ONCE?  No, you don’t.  The Council early on approved a payment plan for those that could not afford a one time out lay of cash like that.  The Council authorized a payment plan of a 1/5 down payment and 1/5 paid per quarter until paid off.  Caveat to that is that it has to be paid for in full prior to the system being turned on.  We do not expect it to take a full year for installing the system.  Therefore the later payments could be closer together to have it paid for when the system is completed. 

WHEN DO I HAVE TO MAKE MY FIRST PAYMENT?  The first payment is due in City Hall on 15 FEB 08.  You certainly can make a payment or payments between now and then if you desire.  But first payment is due 15 FEB 08.

CAN I PAY ALL AT ONCE OR PAY IT OFF DURING THE PAYMENT PROCESS?  Sure.  No problem. 

WILL I BE SENT A REMINDER WHEN PAYMENTS ARE DUE?  Not from City Hall.  Mailings are expensive and we just don’t have the additional funds to send out reminders every quarter.  Reminders will be put in the paper and we are working with the Water Supply Corp to add a reminder on your water bill, but you need to remember a payment is due 15 FEB, 15 MAY, 15 AUG, 15 NOV, and 15 FEB if it goes that long.  Write yourself a note and put it on your refrigerator!

OK, YOU GOT ME SIGNED UP AND ARE TAKING MY MONEY.  WHEN AM I GOING TO SEE PROGRESS?  You're right.  We haven’t started digging yet but hopefully it won't be too long off.  Here’s the timeline and steps we are shooting for.  But nothing is guaranteed.  There are lots of unknowns to deal with, and the most significant one is the time it will take to get the final State of Texas and EPA approvals.  Here are our goals:

JAN/FEB 08:  AEG determines and records Grinder Pump location.

FEB/APR 08:  AEG submits final system maps and information to the State of Texas and Environment Protection Agency for final approval.

APR/MAY 08:  Award and let contract.

MAY/DEC 08:  Install Phase I wastewater system.

APR/MAY 08:  Beginning signing up Phase II property owners.

WHEN I SIGNED UP FOR SEWER SERVICE I FILLED OUT PAPERWORK FOR SOME SORT OF GRANT.  YOU SAID IF I GOT THE GRANT IT WOULDN’T COST ME ANYTHING TO HOOK UP.  DID I GET THE GRANT?  We don’t know yet but we are closer to an answer.  Yes, one of the questions we asked everyone was if they might qualify for a Grant that would cover the costs associated with hooking up to the sewer.  It was based on the number of people living in a household and total family income.  We determined a base income that the household could not exceed and if you were under that figure, encouraged you to apply for the grant to cover all hook up costs.  These costs were, the $3000 for the hookup fee, installation of the grinder pump, hookup between the main line and the grinder pump and then from the grinder pump to your house, and finally, decommissioning your current septic system.

The city did get a call in mid December that the Grant people had more than enough applicants for the amount of Grant available.  What we found out that there was enough money approved for 49 hookups to be paid for from Grant funds.  To that point we had 75 property owners that had applied.  Yes, some will not get the Grant.  But you knew all along it was not a guaranteed thing, just a possibility.  The Grant committee will review the applications and at some point provide us with a list of the 49 selected applicants.   At that time, we will notify you of how you fared.  If selected, we’ll insure you’re taken care of.  If not selected, then you need to decide whether to continue to have sewer hooked up to your home or not.  If you decide to do it, then you need to come to City Hall and make arrangements for payment.  Guidelines above will apply.  Payment plan will be available but again, it must be paid for in full prior to the system being turned on.

WHAT RATE WILL I HAVE TO PAY?  If you signed up prior to the 30 November deadline, you will get the $3000 rate.  If you signed up 1 December or after, then the $3500 rate applies.

WHATS NEXT?  Well, what happens next has already been happening.  When everyone gets back on schedule after the holidays, Allen Engineering Group (AEG) will be coming around to all properties that have already signed up for service.  They will be determining the best location on your property to locate the grinder pump.  They will try to identify themselves to property owners before coming on your property best they can, but they are aware people work during the day also and a lot of the times, no one is home.  They will leave a construction stake that’s basically a ½ inch by 1 inch stake about 3 feet long somewhere in your yard.  Based on where the main line sewer runs and where the sewer will hook up to your house, they will plant this stake in the ground.  It is clearly marked with the words SEWER G.P.  If you disagree that this being the best place for the grinder pump, please contact us here at city hall.  We will set up a meeting between you and AEG to negotiate the best place for the grinder pump and why.  Our number here at City Hall is 512 778 5449.

When they stake out a grinder pump, its location is annotated on their map.  This map will go to the state and EPA for final review once all grinder pump locations are determined. 

WHAT IS THIS GRINDER PUMP THING AND WHAT DOES IT DO?  Basically its function is to make liquid stuff out of the solid stuff that comes out of your house so it will flow down our main sewer line to the treatment plant.  The grinder pump itself is about the size of a 55-gallon drum and is buried beneath the ground.  A pipe connects the grinder pump to the main sewer line and another pipe connects the grinder pump to you home.   Remember when you signed up we asked for an easement agreement to install a grinder pump?  Well this is it.  We also needed that easement agreement to maintain the grinder pump if anything every goes wrong with it. 

ALRIGHT, I’M WITH YOU SO FAR.  BUT WHATS THIS PHASE I STUFF?  Another good question.  When we started planning the sewer system, it was determined that Liberty Hill was too big (yeah, really!) to do all at one time.  The city was divided into two phases initially.  Later on Phase III was added. 

Phase I begins out on HWY 29 about where the new Texas Savings Bank is located.  The main pipe from the treatment plant enters the city limits in this area and goes west along the city limits boundary on the south side of HWY 29 all the way to Loop 332.  A small portion of Phase I takes in the south side of HWY 29 up to Union State Bank.  The western boundary of Phase I goes along Loop 332 to the railroad tracks.  Phase I extends south of the railroad tracks to the football stadium and then goes back to Loop 332.    It crosses Loop 332 and down Hillcrest Lane to the southern city limits.  It then follows the city limits back around to the railroad tracks on the south and east side.  Included in Phase I is Carson Acres and Purser Estates. 

Phase II extends along the south side of HWY 29 from Union State Bank to the western most city limits sign.  The area west of Loop 332 to the railroad tracks is included.  Jenks Branch is included in Phase II along with the area west of the Elementary school on Loop 332. 

Phase III is the north side of HWY 29 from the western city limits to the eastern boundary of Stonewall Ranch.

If this confuses you, stop in City Hall.  We’ll show you on the map.

WHEN ARE PHASE II AND III GOING TO HAPPEN?  We hope to start property owner sign up for Phase II at a time that we can have everything administratively done for Phase II as the contractor finishes Phase I.  This way he can go straight into laying Phase II sewer as soon as he finishes Phase I.

Phase III is a separate and independent project for the business owners along the north side of HWY 29 and is not tied to the other two projects.

SO ONCE AGAIN, WHEN IS PHASE I GOING TO BE COMPLETED?  We are hoping that by the end of 2008, the sewer system will be operation for Phase I.  That’s our goal but a lot has to fall in place for that to happen.  If we receive the amount of rain this spring as we did last spring, then it will certainly affect end completion date.  Many things can, and some probably will, affect the target end date, but 31 December 2008 is still marked on our calendar. 

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHATS GOING ON WITH THE SEWER?  Easy question!  Two places.  Liberty Hill Independent is the official newspaper for city business.  That’s one place.  The other is this web site.  Every time something happens, good or bad, we are going to put it here.  And not just for sewer information but also for anything that happens concerning City Hall.  The city staff’s goal with our new web site is to make this one of you regular web sites you visit for what’s happening at city hall and in the community.

Check back weekly!

NOW OUR TURN!  QUESTIONS?  SOMETHING WE LEFT OUT?  SOMETHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CITY GOVERNMENT?  Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     A link is provided for under CONTACT US on the web site.  Several have already let us know their thoughts about Liberty Hill and we appreciate it.