Worth County discusses large sewer-rate increases, votes to require Northwood hotel to begin sewer billing by July 1, 2026

Worth County supervisors heard detailed proposals on updated water and sewer rates and voted to add language to the draft ordinance requiring Northwood Hospitality (the Holiday Inn Express) to begin paying the county sewer base charge effective July 1, 2026 if it remains on its private system.

County staff presented three components of the proposed billing structure — a minimum monthly base charge, a commodity (per-1,000-gallon) charge and a capital improvement fee — and showed sample calculations for local businesses and hotels. The presenter told the board that using recent metered-flow data and a three-year rolling average produced significantly higher sewer bills for some customers.

The presenter said example impacts in the packet included roughly a 20% increase for Diamond Joe’s, about a 63% increase for a business listed as “Worth County Hospitality,” and increases of about 105%–111% for the Holiday Inn Express under different calculation scenarios. The presenter also said the county’s recommended commodity charge for wastewater would rise from about $1.70 per 1,000 gallons to $3.75 per 1,000 gallons, and that the capital-improvement component is being set to generate roughly $52,000–$55,000 per year for sewer system repairs and upgrades.

Why it matters: County staff said an adopted plan is needed to stop recurring shortfalls in the sewer fund and to pay for aging wastewater equipment and other plant needs. Board members emphasized that the larger capital-improvement charge is intended to cover known replacement needs (pumps and other equipment) rather than routine maintenance alone.

Board action and next steps

Supervisors voted to add specific language to the draft ordinance to include Northwood Hospitality in the sewer billing schedule (the hotel is currently on a private system). Under the board motion, the hotel will be required either to connect to the county sewer system or to begin paying the county base sewer charge beginning July 1, 2026; the board directed staff and the county attorney to insert that language in the ordinance and to schedule the required public hearing(s) and readings later this year.

County staff and the county attorney (Jeff) said they will finalize ordinance language, run the legal review and set the public hearing and readings per statutory procedure; supervisors did not adopt the ordinance at the meeting and indicated the formal ordinance adoption will occur only after the required public notice and hearings.

What supervisors asked staff to clarify

- Staff was asked to confirm the capital‑improvement plan calculations: the presenter said PeopleService prepared a capital plan estimating about $22,000 per year for water work and about $52,000 per year for sewer work (the presenter noted the maintenance-shop cost was not included in the $52,000 figure). - Supervisors asked how frequently the rates will be updated; staff said the proposal uses a three-year rolling average and that the county can revise rates annually if needed, though some jurisdictions lock in multi‑year schedules to avoid annual hearings. - Supervisors asked about metering and billing fairness for different customers; staff said recent corrections to metering had been made and the spreadsheet provided shows per-customer impacts using actual usage data where available.

Other procedural notes

The presenter said the county will give the Holiday Inn Express notice and will accept reasonable timing requests (for example, a contractor scheduling delay) if the hotel demonstrates active efforts to connect; supervisors said a July 1, 2026 effective date gives the hotel time to plan connection work. The board also discussed whether to build a future multiyear schedule into the ordinance versus re-evaluating yearly.

Votes at a glance (other board actions at the same meeting)

- Approved Northwood Country Club liquor license (voice vote). - Adopted the Worth County multi-jurisdiction hazardous mitigation plan resolution (roll call: Goldberg Aye; Stone Aye; Smayby Aye). - Set the public hearing date for the proposed 2026 property tax levy for March 24 at 10 a.m. (motion passed). - Approved a waiver request for the North Iowa Regional Housing Authority pilot labor request (motion passed). - Approved Resolution 25-509 awarding the conservation building remodeling contract and bond to Kingland Construction; presenter said the lump-sum contract is $580,000 and the bond is a 2‑year performance/payment bond (motion passed). - Adopted Resolution 20-2508, a FY2024 budget amendment (roll call: aye votes recorded and resolution adopted).

What the board did not decide at the meeting

Supervisors did not adopt the water and sewer ordinance at the meeting. They instructed staff and the county attorney to finalize ordinance language, add the Northwood Hospitality clause, and schedule the required public hearing(s) and readings. Staff said the ordinance will be updated and provided to the board for hearing and formal adoption later.

Limitations and open items

Staff acknowledged several open items: finalizing the capital-improvement cost assumptions, confirming whether the maintenance-shop costs should be included in the annual plan, collecting a more complete customer list to ensure all users are captured, and deciding whether to include an automatic annual index or retain yearly review and hearings. The presenter also said staff will coordinate with PeopleService on the additional user and will have county attorney Jeff review the proposed ordinance language before public notice.

Ending note

Supervisors said they expect to return with a draft ordinance and public‑hearing schedule after the county attorney’s review; the board emphasized it intends to give customers timely notice and to allow reasonable, documented time for connection work when customers show active plans to comply.