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Milton resident raises alarm over sewer taps as city outlines expansion timeline
Summary
A Milton resident told the City Council work session that she and neighbors cannot obtain sewer taps in an existing subdivision; city staff said a planned plant expansion will allow new capacity requests in roughly 3–4 months after a notice to proceed and underlined the city is moving to bid the work.
Christie Hughes, a Milton resident and property owner, told the City Council work session that she and her husband have been unable to secure a city sewer tap for a lot they purchased despite previous infrastructure payments by their subdivision.
Hughes said the SteamWatch subdivision (transcript spelling) paid about $100,000 years earlier to build infrastructure that connects to the city system, and that residents have been told taps are unavailable because the city’s sewer system has reached capacity. “We purchased a $100,000 lot, which is useless. We're being denied the access to the infrastructure that the city didn't even pay for,” Hughes said.
The matter was discussed during the council’s work session agenda review. City staff (identified in the transcript as Mr. Spears and other staff members) said the wastewater treatment plant is at capacity for new taps now but that the city is preparing to expand the plant. “We are going out for bid Thursday for the expansion of the plant,” a staff member said. Staff said once the council approves a construction contract and the city issues a notice to proceed to the contractor, the city will again accept new capacity requests; staff estimated that could be about three to four months after the notice to proceed, with construction completion less than a year from the notice to proceed.
Staff also told Hughes the city could provide a letter of commitment to applicants once capacity is available; they said there are already requests on file and that staff expects to issue commitment letters immediately after the contract is executed. The staff explained that the city is aware of outstanding demand and will notify affected residents when capacity becomes available.
Council members and staff discussed alternatives Hughes mentioned, including purchasing an existing tap from another property owner or using an on-site septic system, but no policy change or waiver was adopted during the work session. The mayor and staff encouraged Hughes to submit her written material and to follow up with staff after the meeting; staff said they had already met with Hughes and would continue direct communication.
The work session did not include a formal vote or an immediate change to tap policy; staff repeatedly characterized the current situation as a capacity constraint that will be addressed when the expansion contract is executed and work begins.
