If you're pricing a vacant lot in the Village of Four Seasons this fall, the first big check after closing goes to Camden County Public Water Supply District No. 4. Your builder doesn't get paid first. Since January 1, 2026, the district's impact fee for a standard 3/4-inch meter has been $6,000 for water plus $6,000 for sewer, up from $2,284 each. Standard connection charges for parts and labor come on top of that. The district's own 2026 service application lists combined water and sewer connection fees of $17,604.
You owe that amount whether the lot cost $40,000 or $400,000. Because it's flat, it changes how two Horseshoe Bend lots compare, and it weighs heaviest on the cheapest lots. The Village blames the charge for a drop in building permits. The general manager of the water district has said publicly that most new construction in the district has already moved to Shawnee Bend, though he gives a different reason than the fees.
The fee stack on a standard 3/4-inch meter
Here are the parts of the charge as the Lake Sun and the Village of Four Seasons have described them.
| Component | Before Jan. 1, 2026 | Since Jan. 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Water impact fee | $2,284 | $6,000 |
| Sewer impact fee | $2,284 | $6,000 |
| Standard water connection | Not itemized in sources | $2,210 |
| Standard sewer connection | Not itemized in sources | $2,979 |
| Total from these parts | $17,189 |
The impact fee figures and the connection charges come from the Lake Sun's July 22, 2026 report. It says the connection fees saw "a minimal increase in 2026." The $17,189 total is the figure the Village of Four Seasons trustees used in their August 12, 2026 letter to the district board.
The district's 2026 water and sewer application is dated January 7, 2026. It prints a water service connection fee of $8,387 and a sewer service connection fee of $9,217, for a combined $17,604. That's $415 more than the Village's math. None of the public documents explain the difference. The application gives one combined number and doesn't break out the impact fee. If you're budgeting a build, use the district's printed figure as the working number and ask the district to break it down.
The same form adds costs that aren't on the fee schedule at all. Scheduling and paying for any road bore is "the responsibility of the customer/contractor," and the district supplies only the sleeve material. So a lot whose service line has to cross the road carries a cost that a lot with mains on its own side doesn't. Two lots on the same street can have different hookup costs because of where the main runs.
Multifamily construction saw a bigger jump. The Village's letter says the general multifamily impact fee went from $1,223 per unit to $6,000 per unit, with a separate $2,000 amount listed for one-bedroom, one-bath units.
Where the $6,000 number comes from
The district's fee notice gives a formula for a standard residence: "three people per unit x 80 gallons per person per day x $25 per gallon." That's 240 gallons a day at $25 a gallon, which comes to $6,000 per service. In its own explanation, the district says current impact fees didn't match "true cost for expansion" of wastewater treatment, lift stations, wells, booster stations and storage. It describes new connections as "essentially buying into the system for their portion of capacity."
General Manager Anthony Butt gave the Lake Sun the capital picture behind the formula. The district spent upwards of $5 million on an addition to its Shawnee Bend sewer treatment plant. It's now working on land acquisition and design for a new wastewater treatment plant on Horseshoe Bend, and it has to add another well and ground storage. He said the system has gone from about 2,800 to about 3,200 water customers on Horseshoe Bend in six years, and that the district has to build for peak days like the Fourth of July.
"Our intention is that moving forward, each new individual home that's being connected is buying into what will have to be built in the future to handle the growth."
The trade-off is about who pays. Butt told the paper the district didn't think it was fair to expect current customers to cover new systems through big monthly rate increases. He compared it to announcing a 40-percent rate increase to pay for expansion. Under this approach, existing homeowners on Horseshoe Bend are protected from that, and the person building the next house pays the cost up front at the start of construction.
The bridge, the permits, and which bend you build on
Butt and the Village agree that construction on Horseshoe Bend has slowed. They disagree about the cause.
The Village trustees wrote that their Inspection Department reports "a substantial decline in building permits." They also said contractors surveyed by Village staff named the district's charges as "a primary reason for directing projects to other communities." They compared the fees to Lake Ozark's listed combined residential connection fee of $3,000 and Camdenton's $1,050.
Butt told the Lake Sun that "increased impact fees are not what's causing a slowdown," and pointed to the Community Bridge going toll-free instead. He estimated "probably at least 85 percent of our building is happening on Shawnee Bend," which he described as less congested and more residential than Horseshoe Bend. The City of Lake Ozark marked the bridge's toll-free day on April 30, 2024, after the final toll paid off the bridge. KRCG reported that ownership would pass to MoDOT, which would keep it toll-free.
If you're a lot buyer, both explanations lead to the same conclusion. Shawnee Bend now has no toll and gets most of the district's new construction. A Horseshoe Bend lot carries the same district charge, so comparing the two bends now means comparing land, access and annual costs, with the hookup as a shared baseline. Butt also told the paper that "even second-tier homes are upwards of $450,000, $500,000" in the Village. On a build at that level, $17,000 is a small share of the total. On a modest lot meant for a smaller home, it's a much bigger slice of the land budget.
The recurring layer the POA adds
The one-time hookup is only part of it. The Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association also prices lots by wastewater type. Here are its 2026 annual assessments:
- Horseshoe Bend: on-site $897, grinder pump $725, gravity $725
- Shawnee Bend: on-site $1,182, grinder pump $991, gravity $991
- Undeveloped lots: Horseshoe Bend $460, Shawnee Bend $560
The POA defines an on-site system as an individual aerated treatment unit and drain field. Grinder-pump and gravity systems send sewage to central sewer lines. The association's 2026 welcome packet lists wastewater installation monitoring and annual on-site inspections among the services that assessments cover. The documents don't say the $172 Horseshoe Bend difference pays only for those inspections.
The assessment also changes when the lot changes. A Horseshoe Bend lot goes from $460 a year while vacant to $725 or $897 once a home is built. The higher number depends on how the house handles wastewater.
What a lot comparison looks like on paper now
With both layers in place, comparing two Four Seasons lots means more line items than the list price. Here are the figures worth requesting before a lot goes under contract:
- The district's current combined charge for the meter size the house will need. The application notes that larger meters carry their own impact fee plus time and materials.
- Whether the lot's service would need a road bore, and a contractor's estimate if it does.
- Which wastewater type the lot is set up for, since that sets the POA assessment after a home is built.
- Whether any part of the district charge was already paid on the lot. The public documents don't cover how earlier payments are treated, so the district is the source for this one.
The district's application form also lists plumbing rules that affect design. Sewer lines can't connect to drain gutters, floor drains, swimming pools or hot tubs.
The calendar that matters this fall
Timing matters for anyone who closes on a lot this season and starts building next year. The district says it "normally prepares these notices in November and approves them at the beginning of the new year." As of October 11, 2026, its rates page shows 2026 rates and no 2027 schedule. According to its board meetings page, the board usually meets on the third Thursday of each month, which would put the next regular meeting around October 15.
The Village has also gone beyond the district. On August 12, the trustees asked Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway for an independent review of the fee schedule and how it was developed. The Lake Sun covered the request on August 20. We haven't found a public reply from the Attorney General's office or a district decision on the Village's request. Until one comes out, the 2026 schedule is the one in effect.
FAQ
Are the higher fees still just a proposal? The district's notice was titled "Proposed Impact Fees Starting 2026." The Lake Sun reported the $6,000 fees took effect at the start of 2026, and the district's January 7, 2026 application prints the $17,604 combined figure.
Does the fee money go into general operations? Butt told the Lake Sun that impact fees are kept in a separate account and invested in things the district is legally allowed to invest in, so the money earns interest until it's used for expansion.
Did contractors know this was coming? In the Lake Sun's July 2026 report, Butt said the district sent letters "last August" to the 30-plus contractors who had built homes in the district in recent years, so they could include the costs in their bids.
Thinking about a Four Seasons lot and want the full cost before you sign? Spouses Selling Houses can help you line up the district charge, the POA assessment and the site details next to the asking price, so you can compare Horseshoe Bend and Shawnee Bend lots on what they'll actually cost to build on. Reach out for a free consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
