Leon Valley lays out $100M+ water and sewer needs, offers rate options at town hall

City staff presented a detailed review of Leon Valley’s water and sewer systems at a town-hall presentation, describing the system’s current assets, reserves and a multi‑year capital program while offering multiple rate options for residents to consider.

“We should continue to build and keep adequate reserves for emergencies and future replacement of our capital,” said Dave D’Alone, identified in the meeting as the assistant public works director, as he opened the utilities portion of the presentation. D’Alone and staff said Leon Valley currently owns roughly 1,900 acre‑feet of water and operates about 39 miles of water mains and 43 miles of sewer mains. He said the city also owns about 304 hydrants and roughly 903 sewer manholes and that the system is maintained by a four‑person field crew supplemented by other staff.

Why this matters: Staff framed the presentation as a decision about how to fund an aging system and a long list of replacements and upgrades. Operating expenses for the utility were presented as “a little over $3,000,000” for fiscal 2023 and staff said the fund reserve was a little over $2,000,000; staff recommended maintaining a 3–6 month operating reserve and increasing restricted reserves for large emergency repairs.

Capital needs and priorities: Staff showed a…