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Planning Commission recommends ordinance amendment to fund Northwest fire-flow upgrades
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended an amendment to section 32-9 to create a Northwest Reimbursement Area that would let the city front infrastructure costs and seek reimbursement from new development, using a $1,500 per-residence fee and a 15-year sunset.
The Planning Commission on April 15, 2025 voted to recommend an ordinance text amendment to create a Northwest Reimbursement Area intended to help pay for water infrastructure needed to provide adequate fire flow in parts of the city.
City staff told commissioners that some neighborhoods lack adequate fire flow and the city has begun denying development where fire flow is insufficient. Staff said the city would likely pay much of the upfront cost and seek reimbursement from future residential, industrial or commercial developments in the affected area.
The staff presentation said estimates to correct the problems range roughly from $800,000 to $1.2 million. The reimbursement approach approved earlier by the city council establishes a per-residence fee of $1,500; the proposed ordinance language references the city fee schedule so council could adjust the dollar amount later by resolution rather than by re-adopting the ordinance. The draft ordinance also includes a 15-year sunset for the reimbursement area.
During the public hearing, Phil Schmidt asked, “This money, what exactly is this going to pay for?” An unnamed staff member replied, “A pipeline from 1600 North to possibly Port 15 and tie into the Water Conservancy District. So that we have fire flow.” The staff member said the proposal would finance a secondary feed to the area and would not pay for booster pumps, storage tanks or other elements of a separate pressure-reduction plan on Highway 56.
Staff also noted that the reimbursement recipient differs from typical reimbursement agreements because the city would be reimbursing itself for an expense it incurs rather than repaying a developer that built upsized infrastructure. The ordinance language intentionally points to the fee schedule (rather than listing the dollar amount in the text) so the council can adjust the fee by resolution in the future.
A Planning Commission member moved and a second was made; the commission took a voice vote and approved a positive recommendation to the city council (voice vote: “Aye”). The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for its consideration on the ordinance.
The proposed measure does not yet specify the full project design or final contract terms; staff said those details, including exact costs, remain to be determined and that the reimbursement amount could change if actual construction costs differ from current estimates.
