Hooper to weigh building its own sewer trunk line after West Haven seeks $35,000 in back fees

Hooper City leaders learned during a May budget work session that West Haven has asked the city to make up a roughly one‑year shortfall in “wheeling” fees for sewer service and that the long‑term fix may be for Hooper to build its own trunk line.

Finance director Cammy (first name in transcript) told the council that an interlocal agreement with West Haven, first signed in 2004–2005 and capped at 600 homes, technically expired in 2009. “We owe 35,000 some odd dollars to West Haven,” she said, adding that the city had not received invoices and that the last household count on file was 976 homes hooked into West Haven’s line. “At that time there was a cap on homes of 600, and we’ve now hooked in 972 homes… we owe 35,000 some odd dollars to West Haven.”

Why it matters: Hooper’s reliance on West Haven’s trunk line has helped neighborhoods in western Hooper get sewer service without Hooper installing its own main, but it leaves Hooper exposed to the service district’s long‑term maintenance and rate decisions. West Haven staff and Hooper’s public‑works staff told the council the existing trunk line is subject to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) corrosion in manholes and liners and receives frequent smell complaints; weekly maintenance has been required and manholes have been replaced or lined.

Main options discussed - Back pay the overdue wheeling fees and continue the wheeling arrangement: Cammy said West Haven indicated it did not expect Hooper to retroactively pay the share of historic repairs, but did want the overdue amount and said it would start sending quarterly invoices going forward. That overdue sum was described as roughly $35,000 for the past year. - Build Hooper’s own trunk line: Public‑works staff (Jared, cited in the meeting) said Hooper would likely need about one mile of new trunk main to take sewer flow off West Haven’s line and onto a Hooper‑owned force main. Jared and West Haven’s staff estimated a project in the neighborhood of $800,000, with the most expensive portion being the crossing under 4000 South. “If we’re going to do this sewer pipe, we need to do it before they put a new road in… we probably could do it about for $800,000,” finance staff relayed of the engineers’ estimates. - Design and funding choices: Engineers will need to determine whether a force main (pumped) or gravity system (non‑pumped) is most appropriate. Cammie and Jared both noted a force main would reduce the H2S problem because sewage moves continuously and would reduce manholes and the associated corrosion and odor issues; however, a force main might require larger pumps and changes to existing pump stations. Jared advised that an engineer evaluate pumps, junctions and whether a force main would require pump upgrades.

Funding and timing considerations - Impact fees and fund balance: Councilors and staff discussed pre‑spending capital funds and using sewer impact fees to repay that spending from future development. “We could pre‑spend impact fee monies… if each of [the hooked homes] paid a thousand‑dollar impact fee, today we would have $976,000,” Cammie said, noting that Hooper has not historically collected impact fees at levels that would have funded main installation. - Budget capacity: Staff said the city could cover the immediate overdue amount within current sewer fund budgets, but building a new trunk main would require capital planning and might be timed to avoid re‑digging newly paved roads. Council members pressed staff to get engineering estimates and clarified that road construction schedules could affect project timing.

Operational condition of West Haven line Hooper staff reported West Haven told them the section Hooper currently uses is experiencing corrosive H2S gas in manholes, causing liners to fail and requiring repeated repairs. West Haven public‑works director John Wallace (as identified in the meeting) told Hooper staff he did not expect West Haven to demand back payment for decades of maintenance, but he did urge Hooper to address long‑term ownership and capacity concerns.

Sewer‑fund budget and user‑fee impacts The council’s finance staff walked members through projected sewer fund cash flows and capital needs, including a recommendation to commission an impact‑fee study. Cammie said JUB (an engineering firm) estimated an impact‑fee study would cost roughly $100,000; she recommended soliciting multiple bids. Staff discussed scenarios that would keep the sewer fund’s unrestricted cash near current levels, including passing along annual sewer district charges and modest local rate increases. Finance staff presented a multi‑year projection that, under the assumptions shown to council, would result in resident sewer bills rising over time — staff estimated a combined bill of roughly $83 a month per household in five years under the plan they presented, noting the figure depends on how much of the capital program is funded by impact fees versus rate‑payers.

What the council directed No formal council motion or vote was recorded in the session. Council members asked staff to obtain engineering cost estimates for a Hooper trunk main (force main vs. gravity), to solicit bids for an impact‑fee study, and to report back with funding and timing scenarios. Staff said they would also ask West Haven to send regular quarterly invoices going forward and to provide the documentation on the historic interlocal agreement.

Context and next steps Council members emphasized they were not ready to choose a path but wanted better cost and schedule information. Staff said the next steps are: (1) ask an engineer to price a one‑mile trunk main and pump requirements, (2) request a formal invoice schedule and history from West Haven, and (3) obtain bids for an impact‑fee study so the council can better weigh borrowing, transfers from capital projects, or pre‑spending and repayment from future development. Staff also flagged that road construction schedules could materially affect project cost and timing — installing a new trunk main before a planned road repaving could avoid tearing up newly completed pavement.

Ending Council members set the budget calendar and asked staff to return with the requested engineering and legal documentation before the council adopts a tentative budget this spring.