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Council adopts ordinance adjusting secondary (irrigation) water rates after HOA objections
Summary
Council adopted Ordinance 2025-18 to revise the town's secondary water (irrigation) user fees after a public hearing prompted by HOA concerns about equity and future rate-setting authority.
After a public hearing on Ordinance 2025-18, the Springdale Town Council voted to modify user fees for secondary (irrigation) water service.
Staff summarized the proposed changes: a technical adjustment to the 4-inch irrigation rate, a reduction in the monthly allocation for that rate class (from 800,000 gallons to 600,000 gallons), and language establishing a process to add a future 3-inch meter rate when and if those connections are incorporated into the town system.
Several Anasazi Plateau Homeowners Association (KHAI) members said the 2022 restructuring had left the HOA with disproportionate charges and criticized the vagueness of the proposed provision that would allow the council to set a future 3-inch rate. "This statement is vague, open ended, and arbitrary," Darcy Carlson told the council, asking that future rate changes include public hearings.
Councilmember Jack Burns and others said the change was intended to reduce the town subsidy for the irrigation system (staff said prior subsidies were as much as about $100,000/year and the proposal reduces that to around $50,000/year). Burns said his calculations resulted in a fairer spread among meter sizes; he noted the new 4-inch charge would be slightly higher than the 2-inch rate but that the overall subsidy would be smaller.
Councilmember Randy Aton moved to adopt Ordinance 2025-18 with the caveat that any future 3-inch connection and any change to the 4-inch rate would be adopted only after a public hearing; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll call vote recorded as "aye" by Kyla Topham, Pat Campbell, Barbara Bruno, Randy Aton and Jack Burns.
The ordinance also leaves in place opt-out language and a low-income protection discussed in an earlier staff presentation: residents will have two initial billing cycles to opt out of the URC-style enrollments without charge and low-income households on the assistance schedule are to be shielded from the monthly rate increase.
Next steps: staff will update the fee schedule (Resolution 2025-14) and publish the ordinance and related rates.
