Council hears request to waive capacity fees for residents on new water lines; staff to study options

Council members discussed resident requests to waive or reduce capacity fees for households that want to connect to newly installed city water mains on streets where lines were recently extended using ARPA funds.

Public works and council members said the water-line project (noted lines on George Akins Road and completed work on Blake Road, with next work planned for Bishop Trout Road and Dewey Carr) was intended to tie preexisting customers into a connected system to reduce water loss. Aaron (public works staff) and other speakers said several property owners whose wells go dry in dry periods want to tap on to the new mains, but some residents find the city’s capacity fees and tap charges cost-prohibitive.

Council members asked whether the city could exempt those property owners from capacity fees or create a limited-time exception for properties fronting the newly installed mains. Staff answered that exemptions are possible but urged caution: repeated exemptions can create claims of unequal treatment, and changes could require a short, specific window to avoid long-term disparities. Staff suggested the council could consider a short-term program (for example, a limited enrollment period) or targeted relief for existing residences in front of the new mains.

Public-works data presented at the meeting showed city water loss at about 27%, which attendees described as an improvement relative to prior periods. Council members directed staff to place the capacity-fee exemption question on the next work-study agenda so the issue can be researched and formal policy options developed.

No formal vote or ordinance was taken at the meeting on capacity fees; council members agreed to study the proposal and return with options for a future decision.