A Port Orchard homeowner told the City Council that unexpected water and sewer connection charges and a required extension of sewer infrastructure threaten a planned family building project on a parcel once homesteaded by her great-grandfather.
The speaker, who identified parcel number 3424014-020-2005 but did not state her full name on the record, said she was told the property's 239 feet of frontage triggered an additional "fee of ... $28,151 for both sewer and water." She told the council that five neighboring homes are already attached to the water line and said the line likely dates from the 1950s.
"We're looking at $108,000 and ... $561,000," the speaker said; the transcript phrased those totals unclearly. She said she was told she must extend sewer lines to the edge of her frontage and have the extension engineered in order to connect to the existing system. That requirement, she said, came after the city’s contractor or project staff did not extend the sewer line to the end of Sunset Lane during nearby work.
The speaker said she had called and emailed city staff multiple times and was told inconsistent information: at one point she was told a utility pole would be installed; later she was told a sewer stub was being placed. She asked the council for "clarification on how that money is gonna be spent" and for the city to provide the engineering basis used to calculate the fees.
Meeting staff cut the speaker off when her three minutes expired; the transcript indicates she was allowed to return during the second citizen-comment period to finish but the record includes no subsequent completion nor any council response or vote on the matter.
The item was raised during public comment and no formal action occurred during the meeting. The homeowner requested that staff provide a written basis of calculation and clearer notification of infrastructure work and associated fees so property owners can prepare.