Council adopts higher stormwater and sanitary sewer impact fees, postpones culinary water vote; approves annexation, telecom code change and exploratory police‑

The North Ogden City Council on March 25 held public hearings and took action on several planning, utility and regulatory items: it postponed consideration of a proposed culinary water impact fee, adopted a substantially higher stormwater impact fee and a higher sanitary sewer impact fee, accepted an annexation petition for 19.56 acres, approved a wireless telecommunications code amendment, and assigned council members to an exploratory committee with Pleasant View on police services.

Most important: fees and votes

- Stormwater impact fee (Resolution O5‑20‑25): After a public hearing the council approved a new stormwater impact fee table. City Manager John Call told the council the recommended fee increases substantially from the current schedule and is driven largely by construction of detention basins needed along the Monroe Boulevard alignment. Call described the recommended single‑family figure in the staff presentation as increasing from about $8.73 to a recommended figure he read in the meeting as “$21.86 49.” He also said commercial and multifamily charges would rise to about $0.7809 per square foot of impervious surface in the recommended schedule. The council approved the resolution by voice/roll call vote (recorded as three yes votes during roll call).

- Sanitary sewer impact fee (Resolution O6‑20‑25): The council heard staff explanation that the city has relined and upgraded portions of the sanitary collection system and that the buy‑in calculation reflects recent rehabilitation costs. John Call said the fee recommendation would increase from roughly $450 (the prior quoted figure) to $846.73 per single‑family equivalent under the proposed resolution. The council opened and then closed a public hearing and approved the resolution; the vote was recorded as affirmative (three yes votes during roll call).

- Culinary water impact fee (Resolution O4‑20‑25): Staff presented an impact fee analysis that had recommended a higher culinary water impact fee — John Call said the draft recommendation would have set the single‑family fee at $7,416 per door — but staff asked the council to defer the water fee after identifying projects in the IFFP the staff believed were not required. The council opened a public hearing, heard no public comment, and then voted to postpone final action so staff and the city engineer can refine the analysis. The motion to postpone carried.

Other actions and approvals

- Annexation: The council accepted an annexation petition for 19.56 acres at 1050 East 2400 North submitted by John Hanson on behalf of Lyman and Lonnie Barker. Acceptance of the petition begins a 30‑day protest period and triggers review by the planning commission for zoning recommendation; if the process proceeds, the annexation would later be certified to the lieutenant governor. The council voted to accept the petition.

- Wireless telecommunications ordinance (Ordinance 2025‑04): The council approved an amendment to North Ogden City Code Title 11‑17 to update siting and setback rules for wireless telecommunications facilities. The planning commission recommended approval after discussion; the ordinance retains a height‑equal setback requirement for residentially zoned property lines, while allowing the planning commission to reduce setbacks in civic, commercial and manufacturing zones in certain circumstances. The ordinance also adds language that encourages applicants to consider city‑owned properties first and asks applicants to show coverage maps and alternatives.

- Pleasant View police study group: The council approved forming an informal exploratory group with Pleasant View to study the viability of an interlocal agreement for police services. The council named two members from North Ogden to participate; Councilmember Dalpez volunteered, and council members noted Councilmember Severing had previously expressed interest. Pleasant View will select its representatives and the joint group will evaluate options and report back to both councils.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to postpone Resolution O4‑20‑25 (culinary water impact fee): outcome — postponed (motion carried). - Resolution O5‑20‑25 (stormwater impact fee): outcome — adopted (vote recorded as yes = 3; roll call names partially recorded in minutes: Councilmember Dalpez and Councilmember Pulver recorded as voting yes; a third councilmember also recorded a yes during roll call). - Resolution O6‑20‑25 (sanitary sewer impact fee): outcome — adopted (vote recorded as yes = 3). - Acceptance of annexation petition for 19.56 acres at 1050 East 2400 North: outcome — accepted (vote recorded as yes = 3). - Ordinance 2025‑04 (amend Title 11‑17 wireless telecommunications): outcome — adopted (vote recorded as yes = 3). - Appointment to Pleasant View exploratory committee (police services): outcome — approved (two North Ogden council members to serve; Dalpez volunteered; Pleasant View will name its representatives).

What officials said

City Manager John Call reviewed the technical basis for impact fees: an Impact Fee Facilities Plan (IFFP) and an Impact Fee Analysis (IFA) prepared for the city that map required pipe sizes and stormwater basins tied to projected growth. Call emphasized that impact fee law requires proportionate allocation between existing and new users and that the council can adopt a fee up to but not above what the analysis supports. He also said the city will allow individualized analyses for developers who can show alternative stormwater or sewer solutions that reduce their fee burden.

Council questions and public comment

No members of the public spoke at the hearings on water, stormwater or sewer impact fees. Council members asked staff about timing, how fees escalate over time in the adopted fee schedule, and how the city reports impact fee receipts to the state. In the stormwater discussion staff said the fee table is structured to escalate with time value assumptions and that many municipalities now include automatic annual escalators.

What to expect next

- The culinary water fee will return for council consideration after staff and the city engineer refine the IFFP/IFA to address the issues staff identified. - For adopted impact fees, staff must follow statutory reporting and refund rules; developers may seek individualized analyses or challenge fees per the Impact Fee Act procedures.