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Resident questions roughly $500,000 sewer hookup fee for Lucerne Castle; board pledges follow-up
Summary
At a Lake County public comment session a resident identified as Michael said a sewer hookup fee of about $500,000 tied to the Lucerne Castle property may be unjustified and asked the county to clarify. A board member said staff will follow up.
Michael, a resident, told the Lake County Board during public comment that he is exploring the purchase of the Lucerne Castle and was told the county would charge “literally about a half a million dollars just to hook up the sewer.”
Michael said the building has been in place “for a hundred years” and that he has tried to reach a county contact, Robin Bory, without getting clear answers. He said Bory suggested he hire a civil engineer; he did so and the engineer “doesn’t see why this would be necessary,” Michael said.
The issue matters to the resident because, if the fee is required, it could make the property financially unrealistic to acquire. Michael asked the board for assistance connecting him with staff who could explain the basis for the fee or the regulations that justify it.
Michael said he had documentation from the county referring to connection regulations and asked the board to provide a county representative who would speak directly about why a century-old building would incur such a charge.
A board member responded that the resident is in their district and said, “we'll follow-up with you,” indicating staff would make contact after the meeting. The transcript does not record a legal finding or final determination about the fee or any immediate board action beyond that follow-up commitment.
No statutes, fee schedules, engineering reports or formal county determinations were cited during the public comment. Michael described having discussed the matter with a civil engineer but did not present a written county calculation or an official invoice during the meeting.
The matter was raised during the meeting’s public comment period; no motion, vote or formal agenda item on Lucerne Castle or sewer hookup fees appeared on the record during the excerpted transcript.
The board’s next steps, as stated on the record, were limited to a promise to follow up with the resident; no timeline or assigned staff member was given.
