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Ivins staff present updated sewer impact‑fee and rate plan; council asked for more detail before adoption
Summary
A consultant and city staff reviewed a draft sewer master plan, an updated impact‑fee calculation and a multi‑year rate path. The council asked for more detail on commercial volume charges, Saint George treatment costs, and directed staff to schedule impact‑fee hearings in mid‑June.
Ivins City staff and consultant representatives presented an updated sewer master plan, a revised impact‑fee analysis and a recommended multi‑year rate path at the council’s May 15 meeting. The presentation outlined capital projects needed to serve future growth, the consultant’s suggested rehabilitation‑and‑replacement (R&R) funding targets and a staged schedule for bonding and rate increases.
Aaron, the consultant, told the council the system replacement value is roughly $100 million and recommended the city phase toward an annual R&R investment in the $500,000–$900,000 range over time. To preserve cash flow for immediate capital projects the consultant recommended phasing the R&R increases rather than funding the full target immediately. The draft assumes a $3 million bond in 2028 to support near‑term capital work tied to the Lower Tukan Wash pipeline and related projects.
Council questions and requested follow up
Council members asked several technical and policy questions. Councilors wanted more detail on:
- How Saint George’s treatment charges feed into Ivins’s monthly billing (the consultant separated the city user rate from the external Saint George treatment fee to aid transparency). - Whether nonresidential volume charges are properly aligned with cost of service and whether the current practice—a reduced volumetric charge above an initial allotment—should be adjusted. The consultant said other cities apply different approaches and offered to return with comparative analysis and rate alternatives. - How to phase in an R&R budget without excessive borrowing: the consultant said borrowing to cover projects and reimbursing from future impact fees is common and that the bond helps with cash flow rather than representing a net new long‑term cost beyond debt service.
The draft impact‑fee figure for sewer increased from the prior study (2017) to approximately $759 per equivalent residential unit (ERU) in the new draft; staff indicated public posting and a formal public hearing will be required before adoption. The city attorney and staff reminded the council that impact‑fee rules allow projects to be built and then reimbursed as fees are collected; that timing drives bonding decisions.
Next steps and public process
Council directed staff to prepare the ordinance and supporting materials (impact fee report) for a public hearing cycle in June so the full report can be available to the public before hearing. Staff also agreed to return with a staff memo and comparative data on how other cities treat nonresidential volumetric charges and to coordinate with St. George for projected treatment fees so the council can see the full treatment‑cost forecast.
Ending
Staff emphasized the draft is a proposal for council feedback and not a final adoption. Councilors noted the city faces multiple near‑term fiscal choices — including property‑tax decisions and a possible transportation fee — and asked staff to craft clear materials for public meetings that explain why the increases are being considered and how the costs are allocated.
