Council approves irrigation fee adjustments; Newberry residents urge fixes for silt and flushing

The City Council approved a resolution updating the Caldwell Municipal Irrigation District connection and assessment fees after staff recommended adjustments to reflect rising material and construction costs.

Public Works staff said the resolution includes a 4.9% overall rate increase tied to higher labor, fuel, electricity and administration costs and to bring long‑unadjusted mainline extension and asphalt patching fees in line with market costs. Staff said some construction‑related fees had not been adjusted materially for more than a decade and that sharp increases in pipe and asphalt prices prompted the proposed changes.

Residents of the Newberry subdivision spoke during the public hearing with operational complaints: they said irrigation water delivered through the city’s Pioneer‑connected station contains heavy silt, that wet‑well sumps (collection basins) fill quickly, and that the supply has caused repeated maintenance and landscape costs for homeowners. One speaker, Lynn Cameron, read a letter from a neighbor urging the city to “reassess” and to coordinate with Canyon‑area irrigation providers; another resident, Ruth Crawford, said subdivision volunteers have been clearing silt and urged the city to increase flushing and consider staff or service adjustments.

Public Works staff responded that the city has upgraded filters at the station and upsized a wet well about six years ago; staff said they would revisit the station’s performance, confirm the timing of prior upgrades, and follow up with the neighborhood. Staff also noted that the study area sits at the downstream end of a Pioneer irrigation facility, which can mean higher sediment content after reuse of irrigation water upstream.

Council voted unanimously to adopt the irrigation assessment resolution. The resolution passed alongside a staff commitment to follow up with the Newberry subdivision on ongoing silt and flushing concerns.