Two homes with Georgetown addresses a short drive apart can have different water companies, different electric companies, different watering days and different futures. The biggest split is the city limit line. Homes inside it pay city property tax and get the city's lower utility rates. Many homes well outside it, in the extraterritorial jurisdictions of Florence, Liberty Hill and Salado, still get their water from the City of Georgetown. In May, city voters agreed to sell that service to a private company. The homeowners being sold could not vote.
That changes the math on every home in those areas. You can see the lower tax bill on paper today. The water bill that comes with it is about to change owners, and the city has said plainly that it can't tell anyone what that bill will be.
The sale that 11,502 meters didn't vote on
The city's water territory is large because of a decision made 12 years ago. In 2014, Georgetown took over the Chisholm Trail Special Utility District, a struggling rural water provider. The state required the city to take Chisholm Trail's entire 400-square-mile service area, even though the city only wanted the parts serving its own ETJ. That land was mostly empty then. Today, 40% of the utility's customers live outside city limits, and the city says it must legally serve anyone in that territory who asks for water but has no control over how those areas grow.
On May 2, 2026, Georgetown voters approved selling most of the water territory outside the city limits and ETJ to National Utility Infrastructure. The city counts about 11,502 meter connections in the territory being transferred, all outside the city and its ETJ. The Williamson County Sun's election-night report put the number expected to move to NUI at about 10,000 former Chisholm Trail-area customers, with about 16,900 staying with Georgetown. Separate pieces inside the Jarrell and Killeen ETJs are going to those cities.
The vote itself was limited. The utility is owned by the people of Georgetown, so the city says only City of Georgetown residents could vote. The customers changing providers had no ballot.
According to KXAN's coverage after the vote, city strategic projects manager Caroline Stewart described what is being sold: "We are selling off the right to sell water, which is state regulated." That right is the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, or CCN, which gives a utility the exclusive right and duty to serve a defined area.
Here is the city's published timeline for the remaining steps:
- Nov. 30, 2026: application filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas
- April 30, 2027: transaction approved, or a hearing requested
- May 31, 2027: closing, if no hearing is requested
- Nov. 30, 2027: final order transferring the CCN
The city notes that a hearing request could push the transfer to early 2029. For a buyer closing this winter, that means owning the home for one to three years under one water provider before the switch to another.
What the city will and won't say about rates
The city's FAQ on the transfer is direct. Asked whether customers in the sold areas will pay more, it answers:
"We cannot know how rates will be impacted by an ownership transfer."
The same answer says the PUC will keep regulating rates whether the utility is public or private, and that rates in these fast-growing areas "will likely continue to increase in the coming years regardless of which utility is providing water." The city also says it will sell NUI wholesale water for up to 10 years while the new provider builds its own supply. It describes what would happen without a sale too. If no qualified buyer emerges or the PUC blocks it, the city keeps the area but "would have to dramatically increase rates for users outside of Georgetown's city limits and ETJ."
Put together, those answers point to higher water costs in the transfer area under either outcome. Only the size of the increase is unknown. The city expects about $60 million from the sale. That money goes toward water utility debt, and the city says the sale will help keep rates stable for customers who stay with Georgetown. Customers inside the city limits and ETJ keep their provider.
Where the tax bill and the utility bill trade places
The usual case for buying just outside the city is the city property tax. For tax year 2026, Georgetown adopted a rate of $0.363167 per $100 of value, up from $0.353000. Community Impact reported that officials expected no increase in the average bill because property values had fallen. In an August comparison released ahead of its tax hearing, the city estimated an average homestead taxable value of $390,088 for 2026 and a city tax bill of about $1,422, down $12 from 2025.
Utilities pull the other way. Here is what the city's own rate schedule, effective Oct. 1, 2026, charges for the same household on either side of the line:
| Monthly line item | Inside city limits | Outside city limits |
|---|---|---|
| Water base charge, 5/8-inch meter | $34.60 | $41.60 |
| Water at 10,000 gallons, base plus volume | $71.40 | $78.40 |
| Residential wastewater, flat | $68.15 | $78.40 |
| Water plus wastewater at 10,000 gallons | $139.55 | $156.80 |
| Sales tax on GUS electric | 2% | None |
The outside-city premium works out to $17.25 a month at 10,000 gallons, about $207 a year. Against the city's estimated average homestead tax bill of roughly $1,400, the outside address still looks cheaper today. But the outside premium is the line most exposed to change. Many homes paying it sit in the territory being sold, where future rates have no published number.
Rates inside the city are rising as well. Georgetown's FY2027 budget, which took effect Oct. 1, 2026, raised the water base charge 4%, volumetric water charges 14% and wastewater 12%. The city estimates that adds about $14 a month at 10,000 gallons. Community Impact reported that the stormwater fee rose to $8, and that the city is moving more of the water bill from the fixed base charge onto usage. Chief Financial Officer Leigh Wallace told the outlet the change was meant "to try to help with affordability on base rate and push a little more recovery into the volume." Under that structure, irrigation use drives the bill more than it used to. The same report puts growth at an average of 4,100 new water connections a year.
Power runs on a separate map
Electricity has its own boundaries that don't match the water lines. The city tells residents to check its address map to see whether a home is served by Georgetown Utility Systems, Oncor or Pedernales Electric Cooperative.
- GUS: $25.32 a month plus 9.78 cents per kWh and a 1.375-cent power cost adjustment, effective Oct. 1, 2026. That comes to about $136.87 at 1,000 kWh before tax. Community Impact reported in April that the city expects no further electric increases for three years after the 2% increase in FY2025-26.
- PEC: The base power charge rose from 6.19 to 6.59 cents per kWh on March 1, 2026. Current PEC residential rates total about $141.63 at 1,000 kWh before credits and fees.
- Oncor: In its territory, Oncor delivers the power, and the homeowner picks a retail electric provider and plan. The cost depends on the plan you choose.
GUS and PEC come out within a few dollars of each other at 1,000 kWh, so for most buyers the electric map matters less than the water map. The bigger difference is how much is set for you. A GUS or PEC customer gets a published tariff, while an Oncor-area buyer has to shop for a plan.
Two water providers, two watering schedules
Some Georgetown addresses get water from Jonah Water Special Utility District instead of the city. Jonah's residential rates, effective Feb. 10, 2026, start with a $39.53 base charge, and its own example puts a 10,000-gallon month at $77.13 for water alone. That falls between the city's inside and outside rates.
The bigger difference shows up in the yard. Jonah went to mandatory Stage 2 restrictions on Aug. 19, 2026, with scheduled irrigation by address and no watering from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The city is at Stage 1, which allows automatic irrigation two days a week by address, with no watering on Mondays or between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Neighbors on different providers can be under different watering rules. If a new lawn or landscaping is part of your plan, that affects what you can keep alive.
On the city side, Georgetown's 2025–26 water supply plan includes a May 2026 term sheet with Recharge Water for up to 34,800 acre-feet a year, with deliveries expected by 2031 at the latest. Even after that, transferred customers would depend on Georgetown wholesale water for up to 10 years while NUI builds its own supply.
Four lookups to run before you make an offer
- City limits. Search the address in the city's interactive address lookup. This decides city property tax, the inside or outside water rate and the 2% electric sales tax.
- Water transfer area. Check the Water Service Area Transfer map. The city warns that the boundaries can still change during negotiations.
- Electric provider. Use the city's electric service map to see whether the home is on GUS, PEC or Oncor.
- Jonah coverage. Compare the address to Jonah's boundary map, which is dated August 2022, and confirm with Jonah directly.
Run all four and you'll know who bills you for water and power, whether that could change and which watering rules apply. Price two homes on that basis, not just on the list price.
Questions buyers ask about this
If I buy inside Georgetown's ETJ, does my water provider change? The city says customers within the city limits and ETJ keep their provider. The sale covers territory in the Florence, Liberty Hill and Salado ETJs.
Is the NUI sale final? No. It still needs PUC approval, and the city's target for the final order is Nov. 30, 2027, or later if a hearing is requested.
Will the water still come from the same place? For now, yes. Georgetown is not selling its water rights and plans to supply NUI wholesale for up to 10 years.
This post is general information about published rates and city plans, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm the details for any specific property with the utility, the appraisal district or the right professional.
Two Georgetown listings with similar prices can carry very different monthly costs once taxes, water, wastewater and power are added up. The team at Bolanos Realty can run these address checks on any home you're considering and set the numbers side by side before you make an offer. Schedule Your Free Consultation.
