Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Preston council keeps $28,000 fire‑suppression hookup fee after hours of debate
Summary
After a two‑hour discussion and public comment, the Preston City Council voted to keep the city's existing $28,000 hookup fee for fire suppression lines, rejecting a proposal to sharply cut the up‑front charge in favor of a smaller connection fee plus a monthly charge.
The Preston City Council voted to keep the city's existing $28,000 fee for fire‑suppression water hookups following public comment and lengthy council discussion. The council approved leaving the fee unchanged in a roll‑call vote that split the council but resulted in enough votes to maintain the current rate.
The issue drew a public comment from Sandy Martin, who told the council that the $28,000 hookup fee "can be very counterproductive" and urged a change so smaller businesses, nonprofits and affordable housing developers are not priced out of installing fire suppression systems. "Fire safety should be accessible for all," Martin said, adding that the fee is "way higher than any city I've ever talked to."
The discussion focused on…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
