What’s Happening with GFCs?

Meter Size Minimums Removed

At the May 22nd legislative session, City Council approved an amendment to ordinance C36383 to remove specific meter sizes that are called out for duplexes and triplexes in SMC 13.04.2025. Meter sizes will now be selected for these housing types using fixture counts as defined by the Plumbing Code or an engineering analysis of expected water use. 

Advisory Review Committee Met May 25

As part of the Education and Outreach efforts, Mayor Woodward's GFC Committee met for the second time to review GFCs and discuss impacts and solutions.

Discussion items included:

• GFC calculations
• Number of zones for water GFCs
• Proposed technical calculation meeting

View the meeting recording below.

GFC Advisory Committee Meeting - May 25, 2023

What's Next?

• City staff is scheduled to meet with stakeholder groups: Associated General Contractors, as well as City Council's Sustainability Action Subcommittee, and Housing Action Subcommittee to present information and answer questions
• Next GFC Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 8.
• City staff continue collecting feedback from stakeholders and the community.

Fast Facts about City GFCs

• GFCs have not been updated in 20 years
• GFCs are not keeping up with current costs
• An inflationary index is now included in the GFC updated ordinance

What is a General Facilities Charge?

A General Facilities Charge is a connection fee paid by the property owner seeking to connect to the utility system. The charge includes the physical connection to the system and the equitable share of the cost of the system. GFC fees ensure future customers pay for the capacity that existing customers have already provided for them.

General Facilities Charges are a one-time fee imposed as a condition for a new utility connection. The fee represents a proportionate share of the capital investment made to provide system capacity for the utility service. Additionally, the fee can be used to fund capital projects or related debt services. General Facilities Charge fees may not be used to fund operation and maintenance costs.

Spokane Municipal Code: 13.04.2044

Spokane Municipal Code: 13.03.0734

Governing state law: RCW 35.92.025. 

Give Us Your Feedback

Email us at gfcs@spokanecity.org with your thoughts and ideas about the status and future of General Facilities Charges. For more information, visit the GFC webpage.