Committee hears bill to allow infrastructure fee in place of special assessments

Good morning: the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee heard House Bill 13‑89 on whether local governments could use a recurring infrastructure fee on utility bills to replace special assessments for street maintenance and similar projects.

Representative Jason Dockter (R‑District 7) told the committee the bill is intended as an alternative financing tool for political subdivisions. He said the fee would typically appear on a water or utility bill as a flat monthly charge (an example used in testimony was about $35 for an average home) and that commercial customers could be charged up to twice the residential amount. Dockter said any fee must be put to a public vote and that greenfield (new‑development) special assessments would remain in place.

The bill drew bipartisan questions from senators about how an infrastructure fee would be calculated, whether it…