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Middleton council to consider waiving water, sewer fees for Middleton Rural Fire District after formal request
Summary
Commissioner Liz Boltz asked the Middleton City Council to waive monthly water and sewer fees for the Middleton Rural Fire District. City staff and the city attorney said current city code requires all users to pay utility fees; council directed staff to place the request on a future agenda for formal consideration.
The Middleton City Council discussed a request from Middleton Rural Fire District commissioner Liz Boltz to have the city waive the district's water and sewer utility fees, and directed staff to return the proposal as an action item at a future meeting.
Boltz told the council the department pays a monthly bill and asked the city and Mayor Hutchison to consider furnishing water and sewer service at no cost. "On behalf of our commissioners and chief of the Middleton Star Fire District, that's my request," she said.
City staff and the city attorney told the council the municipal code currently requires all users who receive municipal water to pay monthly user fees. The city attorney said utility fees must be set to cover the cost of providing the service and cannot be used to generate general revenue; waiving a fee would shift that cost onto the city's general fund and property taxpayers. "You can't use any fees to generate revenue. All you can do with them is cover the cost of doing business," the city attorney said.
Council members pressed for more specific numbers. Boltz said a recent monthly bill was "$400 and some dollars," though she did not provide a confirmed average. A staff member later described a recent increase as "about $3.50 per month" for a reduced-rate account. One council member estimated waiving the fee could amount to "somewhere around $5,000 a year," but did not present a definitive total.
Council members also raised concerns about precedent. Several councillors said waiving fees for the fire district could prompt similar requests from other governmental entities, such as the school district, parks or police, and noted the city itself pays fees on city-owned properties. The city attorney said the code could be amended if the council's will is to authorize a waiver, but that the current code appears to prohibit it.
After discussion, council members asked staff to return the request as an action item on the next council agenda so the council can consider the legal and budgetary implications and obtain more precise cost figures. One council member who also serves as a fire commissioner stated they would abstain from any vote on the request because of the conflict of interest.
The item remains a referral for further study and formal action at a future meeting; no fee waiver was approved at the April 2 meeting.
