Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Sewer topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners debate Bremerton interlocal sewer plan; ask staff to meet with city to define terms
Summary
Mason County staff briefed commissioners on a proposed interlocal sewer agreement with the City of Bremerton; commissioners asked staff to meet with Bremerton to negotiate terms that protect county fiscal and land-use interests.
Mason County staff presented a draft interlocal agreement (ILA) offered by the city of Bremerton that would allow Bremerton to extend sewer service into unincorporated areas near Belfair and to connect new customers into the county’s Belfair wastewater system. Richard Dickinson (county staff) reviewed capacity, potential connection fees and a $3 million state commerce grant that includes roughly $1.4 million as a potential subaward to Mason County to study expansion needs, including spray-field capacity and required filtration.
Commissioners debated the proposal at length. One commissioner said the plan “is not beneficial to my community” and warned it could draw sales-tax-generating commercial development away from Belfair into Bremerton, reducing county general-fund revenue. That commissioner asked whether the county would gain real, long-term benefit versus short-term hookup fees and urged protections, such as revenue-sharing or limiting competing commercial uses.
County staff provided preliminary financial models showing how connection fees and monthly utility charges might compare under different surcharge scenarios. Staff noted Bremerton’s published capital-facilities options were high-level and that future development types (gas station, retail, casino, industrial) would generate very different sewer flows and different impacts on county sales tax.
Next steps: The commission asked staff to invite Bremerton to a government-to-government meeting to discuss key topics the county wants addressed in any ILA, including possible revenue-sharing, capacity guarantees, flow monitoring and whether the county would consider a sale of capacity. Commissioners left open the possibility of declining the ILA but requested staff report back after negotiations; no vote was taken.
Ending: County staff said they will reach out to Bremerton’s mayor to arrange a meeting and to prepare a list of county expectations and negotiation points; commissioners emphasized protecting the Belfair economy and county tax base.
