Lolo council debates RSID upgrade letter, stops short of final position

The Lolo Community Council debated a draft letter to Missoula County commissioners about proposed RSID upgrades, but members did not adopt a single, binding position by the end of the meeting.

The discussion focused on three recurring concerns council members said they had heard from residents: whether annual assessments are equitable, how quickly new sewer and water connections (equivalent dwelling units) should be released, and whether hookup fees should be larger than the $10,000-per-connection figure the county proposed in its recent notice. "I think we ought to send them a letter to let them know what maybe we've heard," Council member Steve Major said as he introduced the draft.

Why it matters: Council members said changes to the RSID could alter maintenance assessments for current customers and enable significant growth if many new connections are released. Multiple speakers urged broader outreach to ensure residents who lack internet access or who do not follow meetings receive accurate information before commissioners finalize decisions.

Key details and debate

- Assessment fairness: Members relayed constituent concerns that the RSID assessment method can yield higher annual maintenance charges for land-rich but low-usage parcels than for properties with larger dwellings and heavier water/sewer use. Major suggested an assessment method that factors both land and improvements (land plus dwelling) rather than land value alone.

- Pace and priority of new connections: The council discussed phasing new connections to avoid rapid growth. Major described a "controlled release" of connections over years to avoid sudden demand on roads and other infrastructure; other council members warned that artificially slowing connections can raise costs for current customers because fewer new hookups would share system costs.

- Hookup fee level: Council discussion noted the county's stated proposal to set hookup fees at $10,000 per connection with $1,000 annual increases over five years (as described in an email from Missoula County public works read at the meeting). Some residents and council members argued the fee should be higher, pointing out that installing a private well and septic can cost substantially more than $10,000.

- Outreach and process: Multiple council members urged the council to help residents access the county's project page (Missoula County Voice) and encouraged the commissioners to send a county postcard or other mailed notice to RSID residents. Council member Hannah Zaroff moved for a special virtual meeting to discuss a county postcard and digital outreach; that motion was made, seconded and put to a vote during the meeting, with members recording ayes, nays and at least one abstention. After further discussion the council did not adopt the draft letter as a final council position at this meeting.

What the council did and did not decide

The council debated motions to hold a special meeting and to send the draft letter as written to the commissioners. Members moved and voted on both items during the meeting; however, council discussion ended without a final, binding council position on the RSID letter. Council members asked county staff to provide clearer public materials and encouraged residents to submit comments directly to Missoula County via Missoula County Voice.

Community context and numbers cited at the meeting

Council members and the public repeated figures read into the record from a Missoula County public works email: the county proposed a $10,000 per-connection fee with an annual increase of $1,000 over five years; county requests for external funding were described as a $1,400,000 request via Congressman Zinke's office and a $5,000,000 request noted from Senator Sheehy's office. Meeting speakers also cited the RSID's current connected users (described in discussion as roughly 1,350) and that Phase 2 of the county plan would add roughly 400 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs), with later phases increasing that total further.

Ending: next steps

Council members asked staff to encourage Missoula County to use direct mail and the county's Missoula County Voice page for outreach and urged residents to review the county materials and file comments. Several members said they would continue to gather neighborhood feedback between meetings so the council can refine its input to the commissioners.