Marion County commissioners on May 6, 2025, granted a waiver that allows a property owner in the Lake Weir Village area to install a private well rather than be required to connect to county water.

Background: County code requires parcels within 400 feet of a water main to connect to the system. Utilities staff verified that the subject parcel sits about 355 feet from an existing water main and therefore met the connection requirement. The property owner, Bridgette Bitter, said she purchased the parcel for a manufactured home and had understood a well would be allowed; she said the county's estimated extension cost — which she reported as as high as $76,000 in initial conversations — made the lot effectively unbuildable for her household. Bitter said her purchase price was $55,000 and that median household income in the neighborhood is about $48,000, making an extension fee infeasible.

County staff, Solid Waste and Utilities responses: Utilities Director Tony Cunningham confirmed the existing main location and said the estimated cost to extend line service to the parcel would be roughly $45,000; he also noted the property is about 1,900 feet outside the Davis Landfill contamination plume, so it would not automatically qualify for Davis remediation-era connection funds. Cassie Peterson, fiscal manager with Solid Waste, said the Davis Waterline Project still has funds available but historically the county has used that program only to connect properties within the defined contamination area.

Outcome: Commissioner Bryant moved to grant the waiver; Commissioner McLean seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioners and staff noted that approving a waiver for a parcel outside the contamination area sets a different precedent from past practice and said that the case would be handled carefully going forward. Utilities staff offered to work with the applicant to outline the timeline and costs should the owner elect to connect instead of drilling a well.

Provenance: The applicant presented her waiver request during the public-comment / appeal portion of the docket; Utilities staff verified main location and costs during the hearing; the board voted to grant the waiver following discussion.