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Virgin Council adopts final excess‑use water fee required by regional agreement
Summary
The council adopted an excess‑use water surcharge for homes built before Jan. 1, 2023, as required by the county Water Conservancy District’s Regional Water Supply Agreement; the fee charges $1 per 1,000 gallons for monthly usage above 36,000 gallons.
The Virgin Town Council adopted, after a public hearing on Jan. 21, an ordinance implementing an excess‑use water surcharge required by the town’s Regional Water Supply Agreement with the county Water Conservancy District.
Under the ordinance the council approved, homes built before Jan. 1, 2023 will be charged $1 for each 1,000 gallons of monthly water use in excess of 36,000 gallons. The council previously adopted a separate $1.75 monthly water‑development surcharge for each connection in November. The new charge is the last of the fees the council must add to comply with the regional agreement the town joined.
During the hearing, several residents questioned whether the schedule — which treats newer houses and older houses differently — is discriminatory. One commenter said it “feels discriminatory” that older, longer‑term residents would pay a lower surcharge than newer arrivals; council members and staff responded that the fee schedule is part of the regional agreement the county district requires members to adopt and that by joining the town now gains a seat at the district’s table for future fee discussions.
Council members and water‑district representatives described the fees as a county‑wide approach to fund development of new and replacement water sources. The council also adopted Resolution R2025‑A to list the new charges on the town’s official fee schedule and instructed staff to update billing systems to implement the surcharge.
What was decided: Ordinance 2025‑01 (excess‑use water fee) was adopted following the public hearing. Resolution R2025‑A was also adopted to add the fees to the fee schedule.
What comes next: Staff will post the ordinance and updated fee schedule, and the town’s billing system will be updated to collect the surcharge. The council said it will participate in future Water Conservancy District meetings on any future fee changes.
Speakers: During public comment residents raised fairness concerns about differing charges for pre‑2023 and post‑2023 homes; council members noted a handful of high‑use accounts (pools, leaks, large‑capacity users) are most likely to trigger the surcharge and that county‑wide data indicated a larger share of excess use outside the town.
Vote: Council adopted the ordinance and accompanying resolution by recorded vote at the meeting.
